Dark Winds is an American psychological thriller television series created by Graham Roland, based on the Leaphorn & Chee series of police procedural novels written by Tony Hillerman. It premiered on AMC on June 12, 2022.
The series stars Zahn McClarnon as Joe Leaphorn, Kiowa Gordon as Jim Chee, and Jessica Matten as Bernadette Manuelito, all of whom are Navajo Tribal Police officers. Most of the cast are Native American. Executive producers include Roland, McClarnon, George R. R. Martin, and Robert Redford. The series is Redford's third time adapting Hillerman's novels, after the films The Dark Wind (1991) and Skinwalkers (2002). The Dark Winds series is also Redford's final work, both behind the scenes and as an actor, with a small cameo role in a 2025 episode being his final on-screen performance.
The series has received very positive reviews, with particular praise for McClarnon's performance. The second season premiered on July 30, 2023, the third season premiered on March 9, 2025, and the fourth season premiered on February 15, 2026. In February 2026, ahead of the fourth-season premiere, the series was renewed for a fifth season that is set to premiere in 2027.
Contents
Premise
The series follows three Navajo Tribal Police officers, Joe Leaphorn, Jim Chee, and Bernadette Manuelito 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 and Chee's handler whose career is fading
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), a runaway teenager seeking to reunite with her estranged family
Franka Potente as Irene Vaggan (season 4), a German contract killer hired to hunt down Billie
Guest
Executive producers George R. R. Martin and Robert Redford make uncredited cameo appearances in the third-season premiere, as men playing chess in a cell inside the Navajo Tribal Police station. It was Redford's final role before his death in September 2025.
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. It is set at the time of the Apollo 15 lunar mission of July–August 1971.
Season 3 (2025)
The third season is based on Dance Hall of the Dead (1973) and The Sinister Pig (2003).
Season 4 (2026)
The fourth season is based on The Ghostway (1984).
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.
The television adaptation of Dark Winds draws directly from Tony Hillerman’s Leaphorn & Chee novels, with each season built around a specific book or combination of books. Season 1 is based on Listening Woman, while season 2 adapts People of Darkness. Season 3 blends storylines from both Dance Hall of the Dead and The Sinister Pig, with showrunner John Wirth noting that the writers created a "mash-up" to merge the two narratives into a cohesive season arc. Season 4 adapts The Ghostway and explores themes tied to the Navajo concept of ghost sickness.
In June 2022, AMC renewed the series for a six-episode second season with John Wirth replacing Calandra as showrunner. In September 2023, the series was renewed for an eight-episode third season. In February 2025, ahead of the third-season premiere, the series was renewed for an eight-episode fourth season. In February 2026, ahead of the fourth-season premiere, the series was renewed for an eight-episode fifth season.
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 and Chaske Spencer were announced to have joined the cast in supporting roles. In May, Isabel Deroy-Olson joined the cast as a series regular while Luke Barnett joined the cast in a recurring role. In June, Titus Welliver joined the cast in a recurring role.
In March 2026, Paola Núñez and Martin Sensmeier were announced to have joined the cast as series regulars for the fifth season while Noel Fisher and Devin Sampson-Craig joined the cast in recurring roles. In May, John Patrick Jordan joined the cast in a recurring role. In June, John Hoogenakker joined the cast as a series regular, while Gregory Cruz joined the cast in a recurring role and Geraldine Keams was confirmed to reprise her role from the first season.
Filming
Filming took place in numerous locations in the Navajo Nation (Navajo: Naabeehó Diné Biyaad), 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. Billy Luther, who wrote an episode of the first season, directed an episode of the second season. The fourth season began filming in March 2025, with Zahn McClarnon making his directing debut. The fifth season began filming in March 2026 and was completed in June 2026.
Release
The series premiered on AMC and AMC+ on June 12, 2022. The second season premiered on July 30, 2023. The third season premiered on March 9, 2025. The fourth season premiered on February 15, 2026. The fifth season is set to premiere in 2027.
Reception
Critical response
For the first season of Dark Winds, review aggregator website Rotten Tomatoes reported a 100% approval rating based on 38 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 based on 19 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 based on 15 reviews. The critical consensus reads, "Dark Winds' third season tests Lieutenant Joe Leaphorn's resolve more than ever before, providing the outstanding Zahn McClarnon with some of his best material yet." Metacritic assigned a score of 84 out of 100 based on 11 critics, indicating "universal acclaim".
For the fourth season, Rotten Tomatoes reported a 100% approval rating based on 12 reviews. Metacritic assigned a score of 80 out of 100 based on 7 critics, indicating "universal acclaim".
The Navajo Times reported on criticism of the series for perceived stereotypical presentations of Navajo people, and the flawed delivery of dialogue in the Navajo language by non-native speakers which one source described as "indecipherable". Series director Chris Eyre responded by stating: "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.
