Grey’s Anatomy star Ellen Pompeo and Doctor Who‘s Jodie Whittaker have been spotted on set of the pilot for their buddy comedy series Chicks, in which they play estranged half-sisters reuniting after their father’s death.

First announced in June, the series is created by Katie Robbins, who reunites with Pompeo following their thriller Good American Family. The idea for Chicks originated in a conversation between the showrunner and Pompeo, with the Grey’s icon also serving as executive producer.

New pictures from set obtained by Digital Spy see Pompeo and Whittaker in character as Chickie and Doreen. The former is in black attire, presumably attending her dad’s funeral, when she spots Doreen being manhandled in a parking lot, rushing to the rescue.

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Set in the “rapidly gentrifying neighbourhood of old Boston”, the series follows Chickie and Doreen, suddenly brought together by the death of their “wise guy” father.

The synopsis continues: “Their only inheritance is a legacy of two-bit crime that inspires them to run increasingly audacious frauds. As their con grows, so does their odd-couple bond, as they each start to fill the father-shaped hole in the other’s heart.”

As for Whittaker’s character Doreen, she’s described as: “Wiry and wired, as scrappy as they come, Doreen’s worked every job under the sun and is no stranger to a less-than legal side hustles. But beneath her rough, wise-cracking exterior, Doreen is a puppy dog, and all she really wants is to be seen by her big sister Chicks.”

Joining Whittaker and Pompeo on the show are Spider-Man Noir star Jack Huston as Chickie’s love interest The Clooney, Chazz Palminteri as Chickie and Doreen’s dad, Salvatore Mastrangelo Sr, and Kathleen Chalfant as their aunt, Aunt Sister Donna of Compassionate Trinity.

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Meanwhile, Pompeo is set to reprise the role of Meredith Grey in long-running medical series Grey’s Anatomy, scheduled to return to TV screens on 15 October.

The show has just announced three additions to the stacked cast as Schitt’s Creek star Sarah Levy, Never Have I Ever‘s Martin Martinez and The Studio‘s Trevor Tordjman have been confirmed as guest stars for the new instalment.