Hulu’s Chicks pilot is building out its ensemble, with Jack Huston, Chazz Palminteri and Kathleen Chalfant joining previously announced leads Ellen Pompeo and Jodie Whittaker.
The family dramedy comes from writer and executive producer Katie Robbins and is set against the rapidly gentrifying neighborhoods of old Boston. The story centers on Chickie, played by Pompeo, and Doreen, played by Whittaker, estranged half-sisters who are both barely getting by when their wise-guy father unexpectedly dies.
What he leaves behind is not a conventional inheritance, but a history of small-time crime. That legacy pushes Chickie and Doreen into running increasingly ambitious frauds, while their unlikely partnership begins to deepen. As the con expands, so does the bond between the two women, who begin to fill an emotional absence left by their father in each other’s lives.
New Faces in the Boston-set Dramedy
Huston, whose credits include Spider-Man Noir and Boardwalk Empire, has been cast as a series regular. He will play The Clooney, a handsome businessman who is drawn to Chickie’s store — and possibly to Chickie herself.
Palminteri, known for A Bronx Tale and Bullets Over Broadway, will guest star as Salvatore Mastrangelo, Sr., the father of Chickie and Doreen. Also known as Sally, Sr., the character is described as a neighborhood institution and fixer, a charismatic local figure with four ex-wives and a broad collection of low-level cons to his name.
Chalfant, whose credits include The Copenhagen Test and The Affair, will play Aunt Sister Donna of Compassionate Trinity. She is Chickie and Doreen’s paternal aunt, a formidable presence who is described as harsh and tougher than the neighborhood’s wise guys.
The additions give Chicks a fuller family framework around Pompeo and Whittaker’s central pairing, with Palminteri’s character tied directly to the premise and Chalfant’s role expanding the paternal side of the sisters’ world. Huston’s role brings in a potential connection to Chickie beyond the family’s criminal inheritance.
How Chicks Came Together
Chicks is based on an original idea by Robbins, who developed the project for Pompeo. The idea was inspired by conversations Robbins and Pompeo had while working together on their first project, the Hulu limited series Good American Family.
Robbins executive produces the pilot alongside Pompeo and Laura Holstein, Robbins’ partner at Calamity Jane.
Representation for the newly announced cast includes 111 Media, Altitude Management, CAA, and Johnson Shapiro Slewett & Kole for Huston. Palminteri is represented by Innovative Artists and Liebman Entertainment. Chalfant is represented by DGRW and AMT Artists.