Kevin McKidd has booked the lead in an ITV drama as he prepares for life after Grey’s Anatomy.

The actor will front The Only Suspect, a British drama from Fremantle’s Red Planet Pictures, adapted by Simon Ashdown from a novel by Louise Candlish.

He is set to leave veteran medical drama Grey’s at the end of its 22nd season after 18 seasons in May, along with Kim Raver.

Set in a leafy London suburb, The Only Suspect follows Alex and Beth, a devoted couple whose picture-perfect suburban life hides a devastating truth. The story switches between the present day and 1990s Camden, at the height of Cool Britannia and begins in the sweltering summer of 1995 as a man buries a body during a violent storm.

Per the synopsis: “Thirty years later, another heatwave grips a very different world. The abandoned railway track where the body was hidden – running behind Alex and Beth’s street – is being transformed into a nature trail, spearheaded by Beth herself. What is a triumph for the neighbourhood instead threatens catastrophe for Alex… Because Alex is the young man who buried the body.

“Having spent decades living under an assumed name, Alex now faces the unravelling of everything he has built. As diggers prepare to break ground on the very spot where his secret lies, his carefully constructed life spirals – and he must decide how far he is willing to go to keep the truth buried.”

ITV’s Director of Drama, Polly Hill, and Drama Commissioner Huw Kennair-Jones ordered the thriller. Fremantle has international distribution rights. The four-part drama will be executive produced by Belinda Campbell and Tom Mullens At Red Planet and Hill and Kennair-Jones for ITV. Farren Blackburn is directing and Sumrah Mohammed is producing. Filming will begin in London this Spring.

“Working with ITV on The Only Suspect feels like coming home for me,” said McKidd. “As an actor, the complex and multilayered role of Alex is exciting to explore and I can’t wait to collaborate with Farren, the whole team at Red Planet Pictures and an amazing ensemble of great British actors.”

Kennair-Jones added: “Once again, Simon Ashdown has woven a thrilling story from Louise Candlish’s bestselling novel that will keep the audience on the edge of their seats. Brilliantly produced by the team at Red Planet, The Only Suspect promises to deliver a gripping story full of shocking revelations and twists. It promises to be a real treat for the ITV and ITVX audience.”  

Red Planet Pictures was also behind ITV drama Our House, which was adapted from Louise Candlish’s novel. The series aired on ITV in 2022 and starred Tuppence Middleton, Martin Compston, Rupert Penry-Jones, Weruche Opia, and Buket Komar.

“The Only Suspect is another riveting thriller from the prolific pen of Louise Candlish and after the success of Our House, we’re excited to be working with Simon Ashdown and ITV once again,” said Mullens. “We’re also thrilled to have Kevin McKidd leading a brilliant cast and Farren Blackburn on board as director to bring this twisting tale of a man trying to escape his past, to life.”

Candlish is repped by Luke Speed at Insight Management on behalf of Curtis Brown Group. The Only Suspect is published by Simon & Schuster (UK) and repped by literary agent Sheila Crowley at Curtis Brown.