Jodie Whittaker Joins Ellen Pompeo in Hulu’s ‘Chicks’ Pilot
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- Jodie Whittaker has landed a starring role opposite Ellen Pompeo in Hulu’s pilot Chicks, playing Doreen, a scrappy, quick-witted woman with a history of side hustles and a longing to connect with her half-sister.
- Hulu is developing Chicks, a two-hander dramedy from Katie Robbins that centers on two estranged half-sisters in old Boston who turn to fraud after their father’s death, using crime to fill emotional voids.
- Katie Robbins created Chicks based on an original idea developed specifically for Ellen Pompeo, inspired by conversations during their work on the Hulu limited series Good American Family.
- Ellen Pompeo and Katie Robbins are executive producing Chicks alongside Laura Holstein through their Calamity Jane production banner, with 20th Television producing the pilot.
- Chicks is set to begin production in September in New York, marking Whittaker’s latest lead role following her BAFTA-nominated performance in Netflix’s Toxic Town.
Why it matters: This casting solidifies a creative reunion between Pompeo and Robbins just months after *Good American Family*, accelerating their joint momentum in scripted dramedy — a genre where star-driven projects with built-in chemistry have a higher bar for authenticity and audience buy-in. The pilot’s focus on female-led crime and familial repair in a changing city adds a distinct character-driven edge to Hulu’s development slate.
