Patrick Dempsey’s Chilling Memory of a Killer Reveals a Surprising Grey’s Anatomy Link to Derek Shepherd

Patrick Dempsey is back on TV in January 2026, and the role is a curveball: Fox's thriller 'Memory of a Killer' casts him as a New York City hitman quietly battling early-onset Alzheimer's. If you watched Grey's Anatomy, that lands with a thud of irony. Derek Shepherd spent seasons chasing a cure for this disease. Now Dempsey is portraying the person living with it.

The eerie Grey's Anatomy echo

On Grey's, Derek launched an Alzheimer's clinical trial in Season 7, driven by two things: Ellis Grey died of the disease, and Meredith discovered in Season 9 that she carries genetic markers that put her at risk. He was trying to protect his wife from her mother's fate.

Then the whole thing blew up. Meredith swapped envelopes in the trial so Adele Webber would get the drug instead of a placebo, and the FDA blacklisted Derek for the violation. He never finished the research. In Season 11, Episode 21, Derek stopped to help at a crash, a semi slammed into his car, and a small hospital failed to order a head CT in time. Meredith arrived, found him brain dead, and took him off life support.

Cut to a decade later, and Dempsey is playing someone whose mind is slipping the way Derek spent years trying to prevent. Haunting, a little on the nose, and honestly kind of perfect for drama.

What the new show is actually about

'Memory of a Killer' follows Angelo Ledda, a feared contract killer who doubles as a photocopier salesman in Cooperstown (yes, Cooperstown). When someone targets his pregnant daughter, Maria, he starts digging through old jobs for clues while trying to hide his diagnosis. His older brother already died of Alzheimer's, so Angelo knows what's coming, and the job he chose depends on the very skills the disease erodes first: focus, recall, precision.

He's not just chasing whoever is after Maria. He's also trying to figure out whether his wife's recent death was actually an accident. And the show frames him with this pitch:

"A man who is losing his memory but gaining a conscience."

Who's making it (and who's in it)

• Title: 'Memory of a Killer'
• Network: Fox
• Premiere: January 2026
• Genre: Thriller
• Developed by: Ed Whitmore and Tracey Malone
• Production companies: Warner Bros. Television and Fox Entertainment
• Director: Martin Campbell
• Based on: The 2003 Belgian film 'De Zaak Alzheimer' (aka 'The Alzheimer Case')
• Lead: Patrick Dempsey as Angelo Ledda
• Supporting cast: - Michael Imperioli as Dutch, Angelo's oldest friend who runs a restaurant that doubles as a front for criminal business - Odeya Rush as Maria, Angelo's pregnant daughter - Gina Torres as Special Agent Linda Grant - Peter Gadiot as Dave, a local police detective - Richard Harmon as Joe, a fellow hitman who gets pulled into Angelo's mess

Adapted from a Belgian thriller, with a key tweak

The series is adapted from 2003's Belgian hit 'De Zaak Alzheimer,' directed by Erik Van Looy, about an aging assassin who takes one last job despite his dementia diagnosis. That film is fictional, but it digs into real aspects of living with Alzheimer's. The American version shifts the emphasis: less about the original's child-trafficking storyline, more about a father trying to protect his family, specifically his pregnant daughter.

Timing, promo, and Fox's angle

The first official promo dropped October 24, 2025 during the World Series. Production has wrapped with Martin Campbell at the helm, and Cathy Schulman, Arthur Sarkissian, and Peter Bouckaert on board as executive producers. Fox brass are positioning Angelo as the network's next big complicated lead in the tradition of characters from shows like 24 and House.

One last Grey's note

Back in Seattle, the Alzheimer's storyline isn't done. Meredith announced a breakthrough in the Season 19 finale, and her research keeps going in Season 21. Derek's unfinished mission lives on through her, while Dempsey now gives us the patient perspective Derek never got to see. It's a neat, slightly haunting full-circle moment.

'Memory of a Killer' premieres January 2026 on Fox. Thoughts on Dempsey going full thriller as a hitman with fading memory? Drop them below.