Dark Winds

''Dark Winds'' is an American psychological thriller television series created by Graham Roland. Based on the ''Leaphorn & Chee'' novel series by Tony Hillerman, it stars Zahn McClarnon and Kiowa Gordon as the aforementioned two characters, leading a mostly Native American cast. Executive producers include Roland, McClarnon, George R. R. Martin and Robert Redford.

It premiered on AMC and AMC+ on June 12, 2022, with the first season consisting of six episodes. After its premiere, the series was renewed for a six-episode second season, which premiered on July 30, 2023. In September 2023, the series was renewed for a third season that premiered on March 9, 2025. In February 2025, ahead of the third season premiere, the series was renewed for a fourth season. The series received very positive reviews, with particular praise for McClarnon's performance.

Premise

The series follows three Navajo Tribal Police officers, Joe Leaphorn, Bernadette Manuelito, and Jim Chee, in the 1970s Four Corners area of the American Southwest.

Cast and characters

Main

* Zahn McClarnon as Joe Leaphorn, a veteran tribal police lieutenant based in Kayenta, a town in Navajo County
* Kiowa Gordon as Jim Chee, an undercover FBI agent who becomes Leaphorn's newest deputy
* Jessica Matten as Bernadette Manuelito, a Navajo tribal police sergeant who works closely with Leaphorn
* Deanna Allison as Emma Leaphorn, Leaphorn's wife and a nurse
* Rainn Wilson as Dan "Devoted Dan" DeMarco (season 1), a degenerate missionary and used-car dealer who relies on his faith to recruit followers
* Elva Guerra as Sally Growing Thunder (seasons 1–2), a pregnant teenager who is taken in by the Leaphorns
* Jeremiah Bitsui as James Tso / Hoski (season 1), member of the Buffalo Society, an extremist group, masquerading as a priest
* Eugene Brave Rock as Frank Nakai (season 1), a Vietnam War veteran and member of the Buffalo Society, an extremist group
* Noah Emmerich as Leland Whitover (season 1), a burned-out FBI agent whose career is dying and who is Chee's handler
* Nicholas Logan as Colton Wolf (season 2), a twisted assassin with a secret that puts him on a collision course with Leaphorn

* Isabel DeRoy-Olson as Billie Tsosie (season 4)

Recurring

* Jonathan Adams as Lester (season 1)
* Ryan Begay as Guy Atcitty (season 1; guest seasons 2–3)
* DezBaa' as Helen Atcitty (seasons 1–2; guest season 3)
* Amelia Rico as Ada Growing Thunder (season 1)
* Rob Tepper as Pete Samuels (season 1)
* Betty Ann Tsosie as Margaret Cigaret (season 1; guest seasons 2–3)
* Quenton Yazzie as Raymond Begay (season 1)
* Ryffin Phoenix as Wanda McGinnis (season 1)
* Natalie Benally as Officer Natalie Bluehouse
* John Diehl as B.J. Vines (season 2; guest season 1)
* A Martinez as Sheriff Lawrence "Gordo" Sena (season 2–present)
* Jacqueline Byers as Mary Landon (season 2)
* Jeri Ryan as Rosemary Vines (season 2; guest season 3)
* Andersen Kee as Officer Harold Bigman (season 2–present)
* Wade Adakai as Officer Gary Felix (season 2–present)
* Tonantzin Carmelo as Border Patrol Agent Eleanda Garza (season 3)
* Alex Meraz as Border Patrol Agent Ivan Muños (season 3)
* Terry Serpico as Border Patrol Senior Chief Ed Henry (season 3)
* Jenna Elfman as FBI Special Agent Sylvia Washington (season 3)
* Derek Hinkey as Shorty Bowlegs (season 3)
* Bodhi Okuma Linton as George Bowlegs (season 3)
* Bruce Greenwood as Tom Spenser (season 3)
* Raoul Max Trujillo as Budge Baca (season 3)
* Christopher Heyerdahl as Dr. Reynolds (season 3)
* Carly Roland as Teddi Isaacs (season 3)

* Chaske Spencer as Sonny (season 4)
* Luke Barnett as FBI Special Agent Toby Shaw (season 4)

Guest

* Stafford Douglas as Phil Springer (season 1)
* Shawnee Pourier as Anna Atcitty (season 1)
* Makena Ann Hullinger as Nanobah (season 1)
* Geraldine Keams as Grandma Alice (season 1)
* Robert I. Mesa as Tomas Charley (season 2)
* Joseph Runningfox as Henry Leaphorn (seasons 2–3)
* Sarah Luther as Joyce Leaphorn (seasons 2–3)
* Tank Jones as Deloyd Webster (season 2)
* Phil Burke as Michael Halsey (season 3)
* Casimere Jollette as Suzanne Thompson (season 3)
* Melissa Chambers as Gladine (season 3)
* Robert Knepper as the Priest (season 3)

* Franka Potente (season 4)

Executive producers George R. R. Martin and Robert Redford make uncredited cameo appearances as a pair of detainees playing chess in the third season premiere.

Episodes

Season 1 (2022)

The first season is primarily based on '' Listening Woman'' (1978), with elements from ''People of Darkness'' (1980).

Season 2 (2023)

The second season is based on ''People of Darkness''.

Season 3 (2025)

The third season is based on '' Dance Hall of the Dead'' (1973) and '' The Sinister Pig'' (2003).

Production

Development

In July 2021, it was announced that AMC had greenlighted ''Dark Winds'' for a six-episode order. The series is created by Graham Roland, who executive produces with Zahn McClarnon, George R. R. Martin, Robert Redford, Tina Elmo, Vince Gerardis, Vince Calandra, and Chris Eyre. Redford previously produced four other adaptations of the Leaphorn & Chee series: '' The Dark Wind'' (1991), '' Skinwalkers'' (2002), '' Coyote Waits'' (2003), and '' A Thief of Time'' (2004). Calandra served as showrunner, and Eyre directed the pilot. The series is produced by AMC Networks and Dark Winds Productions. In May 2022, Sanford Bookstaver was announced as an additional director.

In June 2022, AMC renewed the series for a six-episode second season. John Wirth replaced Calandra as showrunner for the second season. Billy Luther, who wrote for season 1, directed an episode of season 2.

In September 2023, the series was renewed for a third season, which consists of eight episodes and premiered on March 9, 2025.

In February 2025, ahead of the third season premiere, the series was renewed for a fourth season which consists of eight episodes.

Writing

The writers' room is all Native American. In addition to Roland, writers on the series include Anthony Florez, Maya Rose Dittloff, Razelle Benally, Billy Luther, Erica Tremblay, John Wirth, Rhiana Yazzie, Max Hurwitz, DezBaa', Steven P. Judd, and Jason Gavin.

Casting

Alongside the series announcement, Zahn McClarnon and Kiowa Gordon were cast as Joe Leaphorn and Jim Chee. In August 2021, Noah Emmerich was cast as Whitover. Jessica Matten was cast as Bernadette Manuelito. Rainn Wilson was cast as Devoted Dan in early September. In February 2022, Deanna Allison was announced as co-starring in the series as Joe's wife Emma Leaphorn, in Allison's "first major television role".

In January 2023, Nicholas Logan and Jeri Ryan were announced to have joined the cast for the second season as Colton Wolf and Rosemary Vines, respectively.

In April 2024, Jenna Elfman, Bruce Greenwood, Raoul Max Trujillo, Tonantzin Carmelo, Alex Meraz, Terry Serpico, Derek Hinkey, Phil Burke, and Christopher Heyerdahl were announced to have joined the cast for the third season.

In March 2025, Franka Potente was announced to join the cast for the fourth season. Later that month, Chaske Spencer joined the cast in a recurring role. In May 2025, Isabel DeRoy-Olson was announced to have joined the cast as a series regular while Luke Barnett joined the cast in a recurring role.

Filming

Filming took place in numerous locations in the Navajo Nation (), which occupies portions of northeastern Arizona, northwestern New Mexico, and southeastern Utah. Filming for the first season took place in all three states, beginning on August 23, 2021, in Santa Fe, New Mexico. Location shooting in New Mexico occurred in Española, Tesuque Pueblo, Cochiti Pueblo and Abiquiú. In mid-October, the series filmed in Mexican Hat, Utah, and Arizona's Monument Valley and Kayenta. Filming was expected to wrap on November 11, 2021.

The second season began filming in November 2022 in Santa Fe and Tesuque Pueblo and wrapped in March 2023.

The fourth season is slated to begin filming in March 2025, with Zahn McClarnon making his directing debut.

Reception

Critical response

For the first season of ''Dark Winds'', review aggregator website Rotten Tomatoes reported a 100% approval rating with an average rating of 8.1/10, based on 36 reviews. The website's critical consensus reads, "Zahn McClarnon is riveting as a coiled cop in ''Dark Winds'', a solid procedural that derives much of its texture from an underrepresented cultural milieu." Metacritic, which uses a weighted average, assigned a score of 80 out of 100 based on 19 critics, indicating "generally favorable reviews".

For the second season, Rotten Tomatoes reported a 100% approval rating with an average rating of 8.2/10, based on 17 reviews. The critical consensus reads, "''Dark Winds'' sophomore season is just as captivating as its predecessor, with Zahn McClarnon reaffirming his indispensable gravitas as a leading man." Metacritic assigned a score of 84 out of 100 based on 9 critics, indicating "universal acclaim".

For the third season, Rotten Tomatoes reported a 100% approval rating with an average rating of 8.5/10, based on 13 reviews. The critical consensus reads, "''Dark Winds'' third season tests Lieutenant Joe Leaphorn's resolve more than ever before, providing the outstanding Zahn McClaron with some of his best material yet." Metacritic assigned a score of 84 out of 100 based on 11 critics, indicating "universal acclaim".

The '' Navajo Times'' criticized the series for lacking authenticity in its representation of Navajo people and language. Series director Chris Eyre responded to the criticism, and commented, "It's critically important to all of us that we represent the culture correctly. If there's course-correction to be made, we're happy to do that." For the second season, the series hired Navajo cultural advisor George R. Joe to help create more accurate portrayals of the Navajo culture.

Awards and nominations

In April 2023, the first episode of the first season, "Monster Slayer", was honored as an Outstanding Fictional Television Drama by the Western Heritage Awards of the National Cowboy & Western Heritage Museum.

In May 2023, ''Dark Winds'' received several Vision Awards from the National Association for Multi-ethnicity in Communications (NAMIC). It received the award for Best Drama, and for Best Performance in a Drama Series, awarded to Zahn McClarnon.

Notes

References

External links

* at AMC
*

{{AMC Shows

2022 American television series debuts
Neo-Western television series
Psychological thriller television series
2020s American crime drama television series
2020s Western (genre) television series
Multilingual television series
Television series set in the 1970s
Television shows filmed in New Mexico
Television shows set in the United States
Television shows based on American novels
Television shows about Native Americans
AMC (TV channel) television dramas