Ellen Pompeo is set to star in a limited series inspired by real events that has been ordered at Hulu, Variety has learned.
In the untitled show, a Midwestern couple adopts what they believe is an 8-year-old girl with a rare form of dwarfism. But as they begin to raise her alongside their three biological children, they slowly start to believe she may not be who she says she is. As they question her story, they’re confronted with hard questions of their own about the lengths they’re willing to go to defend themselves, falling into a battle that’s fought in the tabloids, the courtroom, and ultimately their marriage.
Hulu has given the series an eight-episode order. Katie Robbins (“The Affair,” “The Last Tycoon”) is writing and executive producing, with Pompeo set to executive produce under her Calamity Jane production banner. Erin Levy (“Mad Men,” “Counterpart”) will serve as showrunner and executive producer. Laura Holstein of Calamity Jane will also executive produce along with Mike Epps, Dan Spilo, Niles Kirchner, and Andrew Stearn. ABC Signature is the studio, with Calamity Jane currently under an overall deal there.
With the series order, Pompeo is expected to have a reduced onscreen role in the upcoming Season 19 of the ABC medical drama “Grey’s Anatomy.” Variety has confirmed she will appear in eight episodes of the new season but will continue to narrate every episode in addition to serving as an executive producer.
Pompeo is best known for her starring role in “Grey’s Anatomy,” on which she has starred since 2005. She has ranked as one of the highest-paid actresses in the world since 2017 due to her time on the show. She has also appeared as her character, Dr. Meredith Grey, in the spinoffs “Station 19.” The Hulu series marks one of the few roles Pompeo has taken outside of “Grey’s” since the show debuted. Her past TV credits include “Friends,” “Law & Order,” and “Strangers With Candy,” while her feature credits include “Daredevil,” “Catch Me If You Can,” “Old School,” and “Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind.”
Pompeo is repped by CAA, John Carrabino Management, The Lede Company and Hansen Jacobson. Robbins is repped by UTA, Aaron Kogan Management and attorney Jonathan Shikora. Levy is repped by WME.