FOX has just announced the premiere date for the new thriller Memory of a Killer that promises to bring Patrick Dempsey back to television in a role unlike any other in his career!
FOX has been prepping its midseason slate, which often has some bigger shows than they debut in the fall. That’s due to how FOX often has to interrupt its fall programming for MLB playoffs and other events. Midseason has been known to produce successes, such as the medical drama Doc, which enjoyed a successful debut in early 2025 to earn a second season.
FOX just announced its midseason schedule, which reveals that the new thriller Memory of a Killer will debut on Monday, Jan. 26 at 9/8c. It’s a big splash for the show, which stars Patrick Dempsey, likely still best known for his role as Derek Shepherd on the hit Grey’s Anatomy. However, anyone expecting another take on McDreamy is in for a surprise with this shockingly gritty show that casts Dempsey in a sinister role!
What is Memory of a Killer about?
The series stars Dempsey as Angelo Ledda, seemingly a quiet photocopier salesman whose daughter is expecting his first grandchild. What his family doesn’t know is that Angelo is also a top-level hitman who’s dedicated to his work.
The series kicks in with Angelo discovering he has early-onset Alzheimer’s. Obviously, a hitman losing his memory is a major challenge that can wreck Angelo’s dual lives. That’s without the fear of what happens if his mob bosses find out and decide it’s better to silence Angelo before he gives away their secrets, forcing him to fight for survival.
“Losing your memory is a devastating hammer blow for anyone, but for Angelo Ledda, the stakes couldn’t be higher. His hit man job would be perilous enough, but there’s an added pressure. Angelo lives two totally separate lives — fearsome NYC hitman and sleepy upstate Cooperstown photocopier salesman and father. Having built and maintained a brick wall between his two worlds, Angelo has seamlessly juggled and compartmentalized for years. But now that’s all about to change. Because Alzheimer’s is a foe he can’t outrun, and he knows too well how this ends, as his older brother is already lost to the condition. Angelo is exceptionally resourceful and talented, the best of the best. But he’s about to be tested like never before — and now every minute counts.
This is only made more difficult when he discovers that his wife’s recent death may not have been an accident. So, when someone comes after his daughter — who is pregnant — it’s clear the wall between his lives has been breached. Angelo must stop whoever’s coming for his family by searching his past hits for clues, and the list is very long. Now Angelo must hunt down his mortal enemy while continuing to carry out hits without giving away his diagnosis and still making it home in time to cook dinner for his daughter. Memory of a Killer is a redemptive story about a man who is losing his memory but gaining a conscience. Because Angelo knows he must stop history from repeating itself and save his family — before he forgets the past.”
The cast also includes Emmy-winner Michael Imperioli as Dutch, Angelo’s best friend and a restaurant owner who gets him jobs; Richard Harmon as Joe, a rival hitman who wants to take advantage of Angelo’s condition to make a name for himself; Odeya Rush as Angelo’s daughter Maria who may be more like her father than either realizes; Daniel David Stewart as Maria’s husband, Jeff; Peter Gadiot as Dave, a local cop investigating the death of Angeo’s wife; and Gina Torres as Linda Grand, an FBI agent on Angelo’s trail.
The show was created by British writers Ed Whitmore and Tracey Malone, with David Schulner. They stepped down as showrunners with Aaron Zelman & Glenn Kessler taking over. It sounds like the series will adjust itself to balance out the thrills of Angelo’s dual lives with more psychological aspects of this hitman facing a slower, agonizing loss of memory and death while fighting to keep his family safe.
Seeing Dempsey in a darker role will be a surprise to fans of his numerous romantic comedy movies and TV shows. He has the acting chops needed for this difficult role and is aided by a great supporting cast. The thrills of Angelo wrestling his memory and his dual lives adds a layer to the tale to make this a different crime drama than usual network TV fare.
So keep next January in your memory as Memory of a Killer is set to be a must-watch show when it debuts!
Memory of a Killer premieres Monday, Jan. 26, 2026, at 9/8c on FOX.