Ellen Pompeo is set to star in "Not a Sound," a drama series in development at Hulu from David E. Kelley Productions, the company behind hit series "Big Little Lies" and "Boston Legal." According to Variety, the project represents another major investment by Hulu in prestige television with major acting and creative talent as the streaming wars intensify and the company pursues established stars to anchor new original series. Pompeo reunites with hospital-based storytelling after playing Dr. Meredith Grey for two decades on "Grey's Anatomy." Her character is a nurse dealing with hearing loss and murder—a darker context than her previous hospital role.
"Not a Sound" is based on Heather Gudenkauf's bestselling novel of the same name, following Amelia Winn, a disgraced ER nurse whose life is upended when a hit-and-run accident leaves her deaf. Forced to rebuild after losing both her career and hearing, Amelia encounters a new challenge when she and her service dog discover the murdered body of a former colleague. This discovery pulls her into a deadly mystery that could reveal the truth about the accident that changed her life. Character-driven drama balances with procedural mystery elements, grounding the story in the lived experience of a deaf protagonist.
Matthew Tinker and Annakate Chappell wrote the television adaptation, bringing significant credentials to the project. Both served as executive producers and showrunners on "Big Sky," where they developed the ABC crime series into a multiseason success. Azazel Jacobs, filmmaker behind the acclaimed film "His Three Daughters," is attached to direct, his background in character-driven storytelling aligning with the emotional core of the "Not a Sound" narrative.
20th Television produces the project, with David E. Kelley, Tinker, Chappell, and Jacobs serving as executive producers. Pompeo and Laura Holstein executive produce through their production company, Calamity Jane.