Ellen Pompeo Joins Hulu's 'Chicks' as Star and Executive Producer

Ellen Pompeo is moving into her next television venture. The 56-year-old Grey's Anatomy alum will star in Hulu's Chicks, a family dramedy in which she will also serve as executive producer.

The series centers on Chickie, a character played by Pompeo, and Doreen, her estranged half-sister. The two women face financial hardship when their father unexpectedly passes away. Rather than inheriting wealth, they're left with a complicated legacy of petty criminal activity. This inheritance sets them on a path toward executing increasingly daring schemes and cons. As their operation expands, so does their relationship—the two women begin to form an unlikely bond while each fills a void left by their father's absence.

The show takes place against the backdrop of rapidly changing Boston neighborhoods undergoing gentrification.

Writer Katie Robbins developed the project based on an original concept crafted specifically for Pompeo. The idea emerged from conversations between the two during their work together on Hulu's Good American Family.

Production on the pilot is scheduled to begin in September in New York.