In the opening three minutes of Fox’s Memory of a Killer, Patrick Dempsey’s Angelo seems like the quintessential suburban dad. He visits his pregnant daughter Maria (Odeya Rush) and her husband Jeff (Daniel David Stewart), chats about his late wife and mundane job selling office supplies, and drives Maria to her school teaching job.
On the surface, Angelo is Suburban Normcore Dad incarnate. He drives a beige SUV so uninspiring it might as well be a station wagon. But Angelo isn’t who he seems. Once he leaves the suburbs behind, he arrives at a lair in the wilderness—his personal “bat cave”—where khakis and a puffy vest are swapped for a sleek black suit. His SUV is traded for a flashy black Porsche EV, because Angelo isn’t just a dad; he’s a hitman.
This transformation is so absurdly flamboyant that it undercuts any attempt at a grounded story about a hitman with Alzheimer’s. The show is less about drama and more about the sheer spectacle of a dad treating murder as cosplay. Alzheimer’s is reduced to a plot device, and Angelo becomes a sort of Batman, while the disease is treated like a vaguely Joker-esque obstacle.
Yet this silliness may be Memory of a Killer’s charm. Dempsey carries the role serviceably, but the real highlights are aesthetic: his “I’m a Hitman!” silver hair, impeccably styled; his Porsche EV, framed like a character itself; and his wardrobe, every tailored suit radiating extravagance. Beyond the hair, car, and wardrobe, little else stands out.
The series is adapted from the Belgian film De Zaak Alzheimer, itself based on a novel. The story has been adapted before in English as the 2022 Liam Neeson film Memory, which many may have already forgotten amid Neeson’s recent prolific output. Fox’s version, adapted by Ed Whitmore and Tracey Malone and directed by Daniel Minahan, has all the trappings of a broadcast procedural, despite Minahan’s pedigree in prestige cable dramas.
Angelo’s double life drives the plot. To his family, he’s a copier salesman taking frequent out-of-town trips. In reality, he operates in the city under Dutch (Michael Imperioli), who runs an Italian restaurant with a side of organized crime. Dutch’s bumbling nephew Joe (Richard Harmon) serves as Angelo’s spotter. Angelo kills a triad boss even at his daughter’s birthday party—his own code is rigid but undeniably dumb, and other killers mock him for it.
Meanwhile, Angelo maintains a secret life of luxury. Why the custom bat cave, Hitman Porsche, and bespoke suits? Why not a Motel 6? His over-the-top lifestyle is comically excessive, raising questions about his priorities beyond murder.
The Alzheimer’s subplot adds stakes. Angelo has a brother in the later stages of the disease, and Angelo himself starts forgetting codes and details. The show attempts to balance suspense from cognitive decline with the tension of his criminal life, but sustaining it across a broadcast series, where language and violence are sanitized, proves challenging.
Memory of a Killer also feels like part of a Fox trend: procedural dramas centered on middle-aged professionals navigating cognitively-altered circumstances, akin to Doc or Best Medicine. Here, killing people and Alzheimer’s are interchangeable with doctoring or other careers, highlighting a curious formulaic approach.
Unfortunately, the writing does not elevate the concept. Dialogue is heavy-handed, exposition clunky, and foreshadowing blunt. Even small missteps, like unrelated characters named Linda and Belinda, underline a lack of finesse. Angelo’s secret life, Alzheimer’s subplot, and suburban façade are intriguing concepts, but Fox’s broadcast constraints dilute the suspense.
Despite these flaws, Dempsey’s performance is entertaining, largely thanks to style over substance. His hair, suits, and sleek Porsche give the show a playful, almost campy energy. Memory of a Killer is less a serious crime drama and more a celebration of hitman aesthetics—glossy, over-the-top, and just a little ridiculous.
For viewers looking for tightly-wound suspense or a deep exploration of Alzheimer’s, the series may frustrate. But for those who enjoy Patrick Dempsey striding through his “hitman cosplay” with gleaming hair and designer suits, the absurdity becomes its own reward.
