Hulu Dramedy 'Chicks' Starring Ellen Pompeo and Jodie Whittaker Eyes New York City Shoot in Fall 2026

A new Hulu dramedy pilot is shaping up to be one of the more compelling packages heading into 2026, and working professionals in New York should start paying attention now. Chicks, a half-hour pilot starring Ellen Pompeo and Jodie Whittaker, is currently in pre-production with a September 2026 production start targeted in New York City. Written and executive produced by Katie Robbins, the project is produced by 20th Television and Pompeo's own Calamity Jane banner, giving it both the studio muscle and the personal creative investment that tends to result in serious, well-resourced productions.

The pilot centers on Chickie and Doreen, estranged half-sisters brought together by the death of their small-time criminal father, who leaves them nothing but a talent for fraud. Rather than mourning the loss, the two women lean into their inheritance and begin running increasingly audacious cons through the gentrifying neighborhoods of old Boston, rebuilding their fractured relationship in the process. It is a premise that plays squarely in the odd-couple dramedy space, with just enough crime-caper energy to keep things propulsive. Think of it as a distinctly Boston-flavored female-led character study wrapped inside a con-artist romp.

Katie Robbins is the creative engine behind this one. She developed Chicks specifically for Pompeo, growing the concept out of conversations the two had while collaborating on Good American Family, the Hulu limited series based on the real-life Natalia Grace case that starred Pompeo alongside Mark Duplass and reunited them with executive producer Liz Tigelaar. Robbins previously served as a writer and producer on The Affair and Masters of Sex, building a reputation for sharp, emotionally grounded character work inside morally complicated scenarios. That sensibility feels like a direct match for what Chicks is going for. The fact that this project was born out of a real creative partnership between Robbins and Pompeo, rather than a pitch sold cold, is a good sign for the coherence and stability of the production.

Ellen Pompeo, of course, is best known for her record-setting run as Meredith Grey on Grey's Anatomy, one of the longest-running primetime medical dramas in television history. After stepping back from her full-time role on that series, she has been deliberate about the projects she attaches herself to, and Chicks represents a clear statement of creative intent: a character-driven, female-led original with a strong writer at the helm and her own producing fingerprints on it. Jodie Whittaker brings her own formidable credits to the table. UK audiences know her from Broadchurch, and global audiences came to know her as the first female incarnation of the Doctor in Doctor Who. She is an actor who brings warmth, specificity, and genuine comedic instinct to everything she does, making her a natural fit for the kind of grounded, funny-but-feels-real tone that a show like this demands. The chemistry between these two will be worth watching.

On the production company side, 20th Television is a major player in the current streaming landscape, functioning as the studio arm behind a significant portion of Hulu's scripted output. Their relationship with Hulu is deep and well-established, the result of Disney's ownership of both entities, and it means Chicks enters the ecosystem with strong institutional support. Productions backed by 20th Television tend to be well-resourced, union shoots with professional infrastructure. Pompeo's Calamity Jane banner adds a layer of talent-driven creative control, and Laura Holstein rounds out the executive producer team alongside Robbins and Pompeo. Holstein's involvement signals additional producing experience on the business and logistics side of the production.

The targeted filming location is New York City, though the story is set in Boston. That is a common and practical creative decision: New York offers one of the deepest union crew bases in North America, world-class stage facilities ranging from Silvercup and Kaufman Astoria to Steiner Studios in Brooklyn, and a production infrastructure that can support nearly any scale of television shoot. New York State's film and television tax credit program, which offers up to 25 percent back on qualified production expenditures, is almost certainly a factor in the location decision as well. For local IATSE members and freelance crew based in the New York metro area, a September 2026 start gives ample lead time to position for this one. Department heads in art, costume, and locations should note that productions shooting New York as Boston typically require significant location scouting and art department work to manage the visual transformation, meaning those departments are likely to be among the first staffed and among the most active throughout production.

As a pilot, Chicks is in the prove-it phase, which means the team will be working to put the best possible version of this concept on screen within a tighter window than a full series order would allow. That said, the combination of two high-profile leads, a personal creative origin story, a strong studio partner, and a streamer with genuine appetite for female-led dramedies suggests this pilot has real series legs behind it. With a September 2026 production start on the horizon, the hiring pipeline for key crew positions is likely to open up considerably in early-to-mid 2026. Now is the time to bookmark this one, not chase it.

ProductionList.com will continue to update the full Chicks production listing as crew attachments, production contacts, and office locations are confirmed. If you are a department head, line producer, or key crew member in the New York area with credits in comedy, character-driven drama, or productions requiring strong location work, the full listing is where you will find the contacts and details you need to make your move on this one. Check back regularly as pre-production advances.

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