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.
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
Paola Núñez as Luisa Alvarado (season 5) Martin Sensmeier as Terry Bai (season 5) John Hoogenakker as Sheriff Mark Bishop (season 5)
Recurring
Jonathan Adams as Lester (season 1) Ryan Begay as Guy Atcitty (season 1; guest seasons 2–4) DezBaa' as Helen Atcitty (seasons 1–2; guest seasons 3–4) 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 2–4) 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 (seasons 2–3; guest seasons 4–5) 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) Ernest David Tsosie as Roger (season 2; guest seasons 3–4) 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; guest season 4) Bodhi Okuma Linton as George Bowlegs (season 3; guest season 4) 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) Titus Welliver as Dominic McNair (season 4) Chaske Spencer as Sonny Bear Heart (season 4) Angelina LookingGlass as Val (season 4) Udo Kier as Gunthar Vaggan (season 4) Luke Barnett as FBI Special Agent Toby Shaw (season 4)
Geraldine Keams as Alice Benally (season 5; guest season 1) Noel Fisher as Michael Jorie (season 5) Devin Sampson-Craig as Daniel Ironwater, Jr. (season 5) John Patrick Jordan as Dale Hicks (season 5) Gregory Cruz as Ed Manuelito (season 5)
Guest
Stafford Douglas as Phil Springer (season 1) Shawnee Pourier as Anna Atcitty (season 1) Makena Ann Hullinger as Nanobah (season 1) Robert I. Mesa as Tomas Charley (season 2) Joseph Runningfox as Henry Leaphorn (seasons 2–4) Sarah Luther as Joyce Leaphorn (seasons 2–4) 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 (seasons 3–4) Robert Knepper as the Priest (season 3) Avery Hale as Albert Gorman (season 4) Linda Hamilton as Barbara Sena (season 4) Forrest Goodluck as Phillip Grayson (season 4) Jillian Dion as Carol Begay (season 4)
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 JulyAugust 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 (), 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.Ghost Ranch, Abiquiú, New Mexico, per episode 4 ("Hooghandi") on-screen closing credits 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".