A professional assassin’s mind must be as sharp as his blade. A dull edge can be the difference between life and death, not only for him, but also for his family.

In Fox’s new thriller Memory of a Killer, Angelo (Patrick Dempsey) is a suburban New York photocopier vendor who drives his station wagon to Rochester for the occasional sales call — or so his pregnant daughter (Odeya Rush) and her husband (Daniel David Stewart) believe.

Angelo is actually a highly skilled hitman who cruises his Porsche into Manhattan for a quick meeting with a mark. His acute perception, quick thinking, and keen recollection have made him a master at his work and keeping it a secret. Angelo’s trust in his abilities erodes when he starts forgetting simple things, and he realizes he may be on the same path as his Alzheimer’s-stricken brother (Richard Clarkin). When someone discovers Angelo’s identity and seeks revenge, his whole family is put in the crosshairs.

That also doesn’t sit well with the boss, Dutch (Michael Imperioli), Angelo’s longtime friend who’s an executive in the world of organized crime, with a side hustle as both restaurateur and family man.

 
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“There is a lot of history, and there is a lot of friendship and roots to their relationship,” Imperioli says of Dutch and Angelo. “Yet in this world, as we’ve seen time and time again, those loyalties can shift and can change on a dime.” After all, it’s not personal. It’s business.

“Dutch is like an older brother in a lot of ways to [Angelo], and Dutch also uses that when it’s advantageous, and I think that’s where the fun lies,” Imperioli says.

Complicating matters is Dutch’s nephew, Joe (Richard Harmon), who’s been promoted from busboy to assassin’s apprentice. How much will Joe see of Angelo’s decline, and how much will be reported back to Dutch? “We explore this family thing on a lot of levels in this show,” Imperioli says. “There’s a familial bond, but again, we’re bringing him into this world where the stakes are extremely high — life and death — and loyalties get tested.”

Imperioli has thrived in the crime and gangster genres throughout the decades, but climbing the ranks from Goodfellas‘ Spider to The Sopranos‘ Christopher to Memory of a Killer‘s Dutch was never his ambition. “I find that it’s a lot more realistic for this business to not have so many expectations,” he says. “I really liked the character a lot and I liked the relationship with him and Angelo, and that’s really what drew me to this.”

Memory of a Killer, Special Series Premiere, Sunday, January 25, 10/9c (following NFC championship game), Regular Time Period Premiere, Monday, January 26, 9/8c, Fox