When Patrick Dempsey was still on Grey’s Anatomy, he played a neurosurgeon who at one point did a lot of work toward curing Alzheimer’s. Now, in his new series Memory of a Killer on Fox — premiering on the 2026 TV schedule on January 25 — the doctor has become the patient. Dempsey plays Angelo, an assassin with suspected early onset dementia who, until now, has managed to keep his work separate from his personal life. Critics are sharing their thoughts on the Fox crime drama, and they're similarly split up.
Memory of a Killer is loosely based on the 2003 Belgian movie The Alzheimer’s Case, and Liam Matthews of The Wrap says the two episodes provided to critics are juggling a lot of plot. However, the action moves at a brisk pace, and it’s thrilling to see McDreamy committing brutal murders (quite a change of pace for an actor whose best roles are rom-coms). The series shows promise if it can keep from biting off more than it can chew, the critic says, writing:
Dempsey is up for the task of shouldering the show, and clearly relishes playing a darker character than usual. He’s not very emotionally demonstrative, but the show might be holding back the big moments for later. Angelo is a bad guy who has built a house of cards of rationalizations for why he’s actually a good guy, and it will be fascinating to see what he does when he’s forced to face the reality of who he is. Memory of a Killer isn’t must-see TV, but it has potential as a darkly entertaining antihero thriller in the vein of Dexter.
Billy Fellows of Collider also likes the premiere episodes, giving the series so far an 8 out of 10. The critic finds the Alzheimer’s aspect of the plot an interesting take on the trope of killers seeing their dirty deeds bleed into their personal lives. Fellows says:
Memory of a Killer is a show that few will be able to criticize. Yes, the editing can at times feel ambiguous, but these moments are so few and far between that they are quite easy to move past and even embrace. When that small imperfection is measured against Dempsey's performance, which gives away just enough to convince you he's a seasoned hitman, along with the constantly twisting plot and enjoyable action, the qualities far outweigh any negatives. In the end, Memory of a Killer is a stand-out action thriller that is perfect for anyone looking for a new twist on a familiar story.
Daniel Fienberg of THR, however, says Memory of a Killer gets “too silly too quickly,” with the former Sexiest Man Alive being too ludicrously slick to be a believable assassin. Also, with all of its rough edges sanded down for network TV, it’s not as enjoyable as it could be. Fienberg’s review reads:
It takes very little time to see why previous adaptations of De Zaak Alzheimer have been feature films; the combination of suspense caused by neurodegenerative disease — so far treated exclusively as a plot point in a way that is just a wee bit icky — and the suspense caused by a secret criminal double life is not endlessly sustainable. Two hours? Sure. An HBO or FX show with six to eight episodes per season? Possibly with very careful writing. An ongoing broadcast show in which the language, sex and violence all have to be sanitized to the point of nothingness? Nah.
Brian Tallerico of RogerEbert notes that there’s very little character-building for Angelo beyond “assassin, father, patient,” and the critic doubts the first two episodes’ issues are the kinds that will even out as the series progresses. Tallerico writes:
There are fundamentally lazy aspects to these episodes that feel like pervasive issues that can’t be easily overcome. Most of all, the writing is uninspired, with clunky dialogue and character details that don’t really tell us anything about who we’re watching or what they’re doing. And while the premiere is well-made enough the follow-up is depressingly visually flat. There’s a shootout around a pool that is one of the most haphazardly edited things I’ve seen in a long time, as if someone is trying to hide that they didn’t get the right coverage.
Keith Phipps of TV Guide is also lukewarm on the new Fox series, rating it a 6.4 out of 10. While Memory of a Killer is fast-paced with solid production value and a solid cast, the command it has over the sensitive subject of dementia is a bit unsure in the first two episodes. Phipps continues:
What's clear is that Memory of a Killer is so far a decidedly watchable show that, novel premise aside, has done little to make itself feel like essential viewing. Dempsey remains a solid TV anchor, though these two episodes barely test his ability to bring depth to the character. Imperioli provides solid support, as does Richard Harmon as Joe, Dutch's untested nephew who's eager to join the family business. Another encouraging sign: the always-welcome Gina Torres shows up in the second episode.
It seems like critics think there’s quite a bit of promise from Memory of a Killer, even if some aren’t optimistic about the longevity of its premise. As a Grey’s Anatomy fan myself, I won't mind seeing Patrick Dempsey back on network TV again. Check out the trailer below.
If you want to catch the two-night premiere, tune into Fox at 9 p.m. ET (after the NFC Championship) Sunday, January 25, and 9 p.m. ET Monday, January 26. Both episodes will be available to stream the next day with a Hulu subscription.
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