Patrick Dempsey returns to television in January 2026 with Fox’s thriller series Memory of a Killer, playing Angelo Ledda, a hitman diagnosed with early-onset Alzheimer’s disease. The role creates a haunting connection to his character Derek Shepherd from Grey’s Anatomy, who spent years researching a cure for Alzheimer’s before his death in Season 11.
Derek’s work stemmed from his mother-in-law, Ellis Grey’s, battle with the disease and his wife Meredith’s positive genetic markers for Alzheimer’s, discovered in Season 9. Dempsey now portrays someone living with the condition Derek fought to cure, transforming his legacy from hopeful healer to desperate sufferer.
Memory of a Killer Explores Alzheimer’s Through a Dark Lens
The casting represents a complete reversal from Dempsey’s Grey’s Anatomy arc. Derek Shepherd launched an Alzheimer’s clinical trial in Season 7, choosing this research area because of Ellis Grey’s death and Meredith’s genetic vulnerability. Derek hoped to prevent his wife from suffering her mother’s fate.
The trial ended in scandal when Meredith tampered with the study by switching envelopes to ensure Adele Webber received the active drug instead of a placebo. The FDA blacklisted Derek for the violation.
Derek never completed his research. He died in a car accident in Season 11, Episode 21, after stopping to help victims of another crash. A semi-truck struck his vehicle, and doctors at an under-equipped rural hospital failed to order a head CT scan in time. Meredith arrived to find him brain dead and removed life support, ending his mission to cure the disease that threatened her future.
Memory of a Killer, developed by Ed Whitmore and Tracey Malone for Warner Bros. Television and Fox Entertainment, follows Angelo as he balances two identities: a feared New York City hitman and a photocopier salesman in Cooperstown. When someone targets his pregnant daughter, Maria, Angelo searches through his past contracts for clues while concealing his diagnosis (via TVLine).
His older brother already succumbed to Alzheimer’s, making Angelo aware of his grim prognosis. The show forces viewers to watch a trained killer lose the precision and memory his profession demands.
Angelo Ledda faces what Derek feared most for Meredith. The Fox series describes him as a man who is losing his memory but gaining a conscience, creating irony. Angelo’s profession requires precision and detailed recall of past targets, exactly the cognitive functions Alzheimer’s destroys first. He must protect his daughter and uncover whether his wife’s recent death was truly an accident while his mind deteriorates.
The supporting cast includes Michael Imperioli as Dutch, Angelo’s oldest friend, who runs a restaurant fronts criminal operations, and Odeya Rush as Maria, his pregnant daughter. Gina Torres plays Special Agent Linda Grant, while Peter Gadiot portrays Dave, a local police detective. Richard Harmon appears as Joe, a fellow hitman who becomes entangled in Angelo’s situation.
Is Memory of a Killer Based On True Events?
Memory of a Killer adapts the 2003 Belgian thriller De Zaak Alzheimer, directed by Erik Van Looy. The original film follows Angelo Ledda, an aging hitman who accepts one final contract despite his Alzheimer’s diagnosis.
The Belgian film is fictional but explores genuine aspects of living with Alzheimer’s. The American adaptation shifts focus to family protection rather than child trafficking, centering on Angelo’s relationship with his pregnant daughter.
Michael Thorn, president of Fox Television Network, stated the series follows Fox’s tradition of complex antiheroes like those in 24 and House (via Variety), introducing an audacious new signature Fox lead confronting threats.
The series premieres with a first official promo that dropped on October 24, 2025 (via Deadline), during the World Series. Production was completed under the direction of Martin Campbell, with Cathy Schulman, Arthur Sarkissian, and Peter Bouckaert serving as executive producers. The show arrives as Meredith Grey’s Alzheimer’s research continues through Grey’s Anatomy Season 21, with her Season 19 finale announcement of a breakthrough discovery (via Collider).
Derek’s unfinished work lives on through Meredith, while Dempsey now portrays the patient perspective Derek never witnessed in his research, completing a narrative circle 10 years after Derek Shepherd’s final episode aired.
What are your thoughts on Patrick Dempsey’s return to television in this thriller role? Share your reactions to the Memory of a Killer premise in the comments below.
Memory of a Killer premieres in January 2026 on Fox.
