Fox has given a straight-to-series order to Memory of a Killer, a thriller about a hitman who develops early onset Alzheimer’s, for the 2025-2026 season. From writers Ed Whitmore and Tracey Malone, Warner Bros. TV and Fox Entertainment, the series is inspired by the 2003 Belgian film De Zaak Alzheimer (La Memoire Du Tueur), which was remade as the 2022 American action thriller film Memory starring Liam Neeson and directed by Martin Campbell.
Memory of a Killer‘s greenlight follows the series pickup by Fox of hourlong comedy series Best Medicine starring Josh Charles. (Under the network’s current development model, it foregoes pilots in favor of straight-to-series orders.)
The two projects, which emerged as frontrunners on Fox’s development slate earlier this spring to score slots for 2025-26, have something else in common — both are based on European IP as is Fox’s breakout hit of this season, medical drama Doc.
The current resurgence of American broadcast series based in European formats includes ABC’s red hot new crime drama High Potential, the #1 program of the season among adults 18-49 (MP7), which is based on the French and Belgian television series HPI; CBS’ comedy Ghosts, based on a British format, which recently scored a two-season renewal; and Doc, adapted from the Italian show Doc — Nelle tue mani, which earned a 22-episode Season 2 renewal.
They will be joined by newly ordered series Einstein at CBS, starring Matthew Gray Gubler, adapted from the German series of the same name, and the two new Fox series, Best Medicine, based on the hit UK series Doc Martin, as well as Memory of a Killer.
In Memory of a Killer, Angelo Ledda lives two totally separate lives — fearsome NYC hitman and sleepy upstate Cooperstown photocopier salesman and father. Both of them are threatened when he is diagnosed with Alzheimer’s, a disease he already lost his older brother to.
To further complicate things, he discovers that his wife’s recent death may not have been an accident. When someone comes after his daughter — who is pregnant — it’s clear the wall between his lives has been breached. Angelo must stop whoever’s coming for his family by searching his past hits for clues, and the list is very long. Memory of a Killer is a redemptive story about a man who is losing his memory but gaining a conscience.
“Memory of a Killer is a propulsive series with a noisy, unrelenting character hook that immediately grabbed our attention,” it was announced today by Michael Thorn, President of Fox Television Network. “In the spirit of 24 and House, we’re introducing a daring new signature Fox lead, a complicated antihero facing unimaginable danger. We’re excited to bring this gripping new thriller to life alongside our long-standing partners at Warner Bros.”
Memory of a Killer, produced by Warner Bros. Television and Fox Entertainment, is from Whitmore and Malone, who executive produce alongside Cathy Schulman of Welle Entertainment. Arthur Sarkissian and Campbell are also executive producers, along with Peter Bouckaert of Eyeworks. Schulman and Sarkissian were producers on the 2022 film Memory.
