HBO’s latest thriller Task has only just premiered, but it is already making waves thanks to its mix of gritty storytelling, high-stakes crime, and a cast filled with familiar faces. Among the standout names is Jamie McShane, who longtime TV fans will instantly recognize from Sons of Anarchy.
Now stepping into another biker gang world, McShane’s new role is being praised as a perfect continuation of the intensity that made him such a compelling screen presence years ago.
The series officially debuted on September 7, 2025, and it wastes no time setting up a tense cat and mouse story. At the center is Robbie, played by Tom Pelphrey, a career criminal with deep connections to a biker gang called the Dark Hearts.
When Robbie’s brother, once part of the gang, dies, he uses his inside knowledge of the group to start breaking into gang members’ homes and stealing cash. What begins as calculated theft soon spirals into something much more dangerous, drawing the attention of both law enforcement and the gang itself.
Mark Ruffalo also joins the cast as FBI agent Tom Brandis, whose job is to stop Robbie before the situation explodes into all out war. Meanwhile, the Dark Hearts have their own ideas about how justice should be served. By episode two, the show introduces the gang’s ruthless leader, Perry, played by McShane, in a performance that feels like a thrilling callback to his Sons of Anarchy days.
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Jamie McShane Finds His Perfect Fit as Perry
Fans of Sons of Anarchy will remember McShane as Cameron Hayes, a figure with his own dark ties to motorcycle clubs and organized crime. In Task, McShane once again taps into that same dangerous energy, but this time with even more gravitas.
His character Perry is the head of the Dark Hearts, a figure who might not look like a stereotypical biker boss at first glance but who quickly establishes himself as someone not to be underestimated.
What makes Perry so unsettling is his mix of vulnerability and menace. In his first big scene in episode two, Perry breaks down while mourning the fate of one of his gang members. Instead of making him appear weak, the moment underscores his volatility.
His grief turns violent, and his emotions only make him more threatening. It is a clever use of McShane’s range as an actor. Audiences come in expecting him to be one thing, but he quickly becomes something much more complex and terrifying.
For viewers who loved the grim intensity of Sons of Anarchy, McShane’s performance feels like a homecoming. He slips into the role of a biker world leader with ease, proving that even years later he has not lost his touch for playing layered, morally gray characters.
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From Police Roles to Gang Leader
Before returning to the criminal underworld in Task, Jamie McShane had been spending a lot of time on the other side of the law. Most recently, he appeared in The Lincoln Lawyer and Netflix’s smash hit Wednesday, where he played different kinds of law enforcement officers. Both characters were authority figures with sharp edges, sometimes even antagonists, but they could not have been further from his biker gang persona in Sons of Anarchy.
That is what makes his turn as Perry in Task so refreshing. After years of portraying cops and authority figures, McShane is back where audiences first fell in love with him, playing a character steeped in danger, loyalty, and vengeance. The shift also highlights his versatility. He can command a badge with as much conviction as he can command a biker club.
Right now, Task is only beginning to peel back the layers of Perry. We have seen him grieve, strategize, and push his gang toward discovering who has been targeting them. As soon as the truth comes out, that Robbie is the one robbing and killing members of the Dark Hearts, the real fireworks are sure to begin. If McShane’s past performances are any hint, audiences can expect Perry to unleash a storm of ruthless retaliation.
With Task, HBO has crafted another crime drama filled with grit, danger, and emotional weight. And by casting Jamie McShane as Perry, the network has given fans of Sons of Anarchy exactly the kind of dark, complicated performance they have been craving.
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