'Grey's Anatomy' star's new role is a surprisingly dark turn

From saving lives to burying bodies, Kevin McKidd isn't at Grey Sloan Memorial Hospital anymore.

The longtime "Grey's Anatomy" actor, whose departure from the medical drama was announced in March, has been cast in the upcoming ITV mini-series "The Only Suspect," the TV network confirmed to USA TODAY in a press release Thursday, April 23.

The British thriller, McKidd's first major role since leaving "Grey's," tells the story of a man named Alex, who buried a body during a violent storm in the mid-1990s. Alex's sordid past comes back to haunt him when his wife, Beth, takes on a construction project that has the potential to expose his crime.

"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," the show's logline reads. "What is a triumph for the neighborhood instead threatens catastrophe for Alex."

McKidd, who guest starred on the ITV crime drama "Kavanagh QC" early in his career, said in a statement that joining "The Only Suspect" feels like "coming home for me."

"As an actor, the complex and multilayered role of Alex is exciting to explore," McKidd said. "I can't wait to collaborate with [director Farren Blackburn], the whole team at Red Planet Pictures and an amazing ensemble of great British actors."

McKidd, who played Dr. Owen Hunt on "Grey's Anatomy" for nearly two decades, will officially exit the long-running ABC series, alongside castmate Kim Raver, after the Season 22 finale, the actors confirmed on March 25.

McKidd and Raver's departures are due to creative decisions based on a storyline, USA TODAY previously learned, but the door is open for their characters returning in the future.

The show "has been a huge chapter of my life, creatively and personally, and I'm deeply grateful for everything the show has given me over the years," McKidd said in a statement to USA TODAY at the time. "I've had the privilege of working with an extraordinary group of people throughout that time."

Contributing: Anthony Robledo, USA TODAY