Ellen Pompeo's TV return has been set, as the Grey's Anatomy star will play a discharged ER nurse who loses her hearing in an accident that sets off a murder mystery investigation, to air on Hulu.
Ellen Pompeo is scrubbing into a new ER on the small screen.
The Grey's Anatomy star, who has played Dr. Meredith Grey for 22 seasons, is set to lead a new medical drama titled Not A Sound, according to multiple outlets. Except this time, instead of playing a powerhouse doctor with relationship troubles, Pompeo is taking on the role of a discharged ER nurse.
In the murder mystery for Hulu, the 56-year-old will portray a nurse who loses her hearing due to a hit-and-run. Not A Sound—adapted from Heather Gudenkauf's novel by Big Little Lies creator David E. Kelley Productions—follows Amelia Winn's investigation into her accident that spirals after discovering a dead body.
And it's not the only good news that the streamer has delivered to fans about Pompeo's onscreen presence. The network has also renewed the Station 19 actress' true-crime drama Good American Family, costarring Christina Hendricks, for season two.
In addition, Deadline reports that Pompeo is expected to continue on Grey's Anatomy—which was renewed for a 23rd season in March—despite speculation that she had permanently left the ABC hit after not appearing in the latest cast photo.
But the working mom to kids Stella, 16, Sienna, 11 and Eli, 9, with husband Chris Ivery explained that she preferred a smaller role in the beloved show to focus on family since 2022.
"I’ve been doing it for 20 years, so it was time to step away," she told El País in 2025. "I have three children and I love spending time with them and I love being involved in their lives."
"I’m very lucky to be able to get to work sometimes and take time off," she continued. "I have a nice balance in my life.”
While Pompeo is anticipated to continue as the series' narrator, it was announced that costars Kevin McKidd (Dr. Owen Hunt) and Kim Raver (Dr. Theodora Grace "Teddy" Altman) will not return.
Read on for more inside insights from behind the scenes of Grey's.
Shonda Rhimes pictured “a girl like the girl from Moonlight Mile” for the part of ambitious, endearing surgical intern Dr. Meredith Grey.
“Finally," Rhimes recalled to Entertainment Weekly, "somebody said, ‘I think that girl is Ellen Pompeo.'" And the actress, who played Jake Gyllenhaal's love interest in the 2002 film, already had a deal with ABC.
The only issue was, Pompeo found the subject matter anxiety-inducing—unlike Rhimes, a self-professed scripted-surgery addict.
"I don’t particularly like medical shows at all," Pompeo told Parade in 2013. "I never have. The show that was really big at the time for my generation—before I started Grey’s — was ER. That was on forever, but I’ve never seen one episode!” (Nor, as she told The Hollywood Reporter, did she want "to be stuck on a medical show for five years.")
