Dempsey is making a smooth transition in his new leading TV role.
Hot off his twisted role in Dexter: Original Sin, Patrick Dempsey is making a powerful return to broadcast television with a leading role in Fox’s upcoming straight-to-series thriller, Memory of a Killer. This marks Dempsey’s first major broadcast project in nearly a decade.
Memory of a Killer follows Angelo Ledda (Dempsey), a feared contract killer living a double life — one as a deadly hitman in New York City, the other as a quiet photocopier salesman and devoted father in upstate Cooperstown. But everything begins to unravel when he’s diagnosed with early-onset Alzheimer’s, the same disease that claimed his older brother’s life.
As Angelo’s memory fades, the lines between his two worlds begin to blur. When his pregnant daughter is targeted and he uncovers disturbing truths about his wife’s recent death, he realizes his secret life is no longer hidden — and someone wants his family dead. Determined to protect them, Angelo must revisit his long list of past hits to piece together who's coming for him. Memory of a Killer is a tense, emotionally charged story of redemption, memory, and morality — where the stakes couldn’t be higher.
From Acclaimed Creators and Source Material
The series is penned by Ed Whitmore and Tracey Malone (Rillington Place, Silent Witness), produced by Warner Bros. Television and Fox Entertainment. It is inspired by the acclaimed 2003 Belgian crime drama De Zaak Alzheimer (The Alzheimer Case), also known as La Mémoire du Tueur. That film was later remade as the 2022 Hollywood feature Memory, starring Liam Neeson and directed by Martin Campbell (Casino Royale).
Dempsey takes on the lead role previously portrayed by Jan Decleir in the original Belgian film and Liam Neeson in the American adaptation, adding his own signature intensity to a character battling both his violent past and a devastating illness.
From Dexter: Original Sin to a New Lead Role
Patrick Dempsey recently starred as Miami Metro Police Captain Aaron Spencer in Showtime’s prequel series Dexter: Original Sin. Throughout the show’s first season, Spencer appeared as a respected figure of authority — until a jaw-dropping twist revealed him to be the season’s central antagonist. In a dramatic conclusion, Dexter himself killed Spencer in the finale, eliminating any chance of Dempsey's return in the upcoming second season.
With Memory of a Killer, Dempsey transitions seamlessly from one dark and compelling role to another, continuing to showcase his dramatic range and drawing in both long-time fans and new viewers alike.
Source: Deadline