Patrick Dempsey’s ‘Memory of a Killer’ Proves the Sexiest Man Can Also Be the Scariest
Forget McDreamy. Patrick Dempsey is dismantling every shred of his heartthrob persona in FOX’s electrifying new series “Memory of a Killer,” where charm gives way to menace and the only thing more dangerous than his character’s profession is the disease slowly erasing his mind.
In this psychological thriller premiering January 25th, Dempsey inhabits Angelo Flannery, a man whose existence is split down the middle with surgical precision. By day in quaint Cooperstown, he’s the quintessential suburban father peddling copy machines. By night in New York City, he’s a ruthless assassin working for Dutch—played with delicious moral ambiguity by Michael Imperioli—whose upscale restaurant serves as an elegant façade for criminal operations.
For years, Angelo has maintained this precarious double life with the discipline of a tightrope walker. But early-onset Alzheimer’s is the opponent he cannot outmaneuver, the one adversary immune to bullets and manipulation. As his memories begin fragmenting, the carefully constructed walls between his two worlds start crumbling, threatening to expose everything.
The series draws from Jef Geeraerts’ Belgian novel “De Zaak Alzheimer,” previously adapted into a 2003 Belgian film and the 2022 Liam Neeson vehicle “Memory.” But this iteration promises something fresh: the slow-burn tension of serialized storytelling, allowing Dempsey’s descent into cognitive chaos to unfold with devastating granularity.
What makes this casting so compelling is the radical departure it represents. Dempsey has spent decades perfecting the art of likability, making this pivot into moral darkness all the more unsettling. There’s something uniquely chilling about watching a familiar face commit unfamiliar acts—and even more haunting watching that face forget who he truly is.
“Memory of a Killer” debuts Sunday following the NFC Championship before settling into its Monday 9 p.m. slot, where it promises to redefine what we thought we knew about Patrick Dempsey.
‘Memory of a Killer’ episode schedule
“Memory of a Killer” is listed to have 10 episodes:
- Episode 1 “Ferryman”: Jan. 25
- Episode 2 “Samurai:” Jan. 26
- Episode 3: Feb. 2
- Episode 4: Feb. 9
- Episode 5: Feb. 16
- Episode 6: Feb. 23
- Episode 7: March 2
- Episode 8: March 9
- Episode 9: March 16
- Episode 10: March 23
‘Memory of a Killer’ cast
The cast of “Memory of a Killer,” according to HBO Max, includes:
- Patrick Dempsey as Angelo Doyle
- Michael Imperioli as Dutch
- Gina Torres as Linda Grant
- Richard Harmon as Joe
- Odeya Rush as Maria
- Daniel David Stewart as Jeff
- Peter Gadiot as Dave
