Photo Credit: Michael Moriatis/AMC
Dark Winds returns to AMC next weekend with its fourth season, but viewers do not have to worry if the season will be its last. AMC has renewed the series for an eight-episode fifth season ahead of its return. Production on the new episodes will begin next month.
Zahn McClarnon, Kiowa Gordon, Jessica Matten, Deanna Allison, Elva Guerra, A Martinez, Joseph Runningfox, Jeri Ryan, and Nicholas Logan star in the series set in the Navajo Nation during the 1970s. Inspired by the Tony Hillerman novels, the series follows officers Leaphorn and Chee as they investigate crimes. Season four takes them away from Navajo land in search of a missing girl.
AMC shared the following about the show’s renewal:
“In advance of its upcoming Season 4 premiere, AMC Networks today announced that it has renewed the critically acclaimed and popular noir drama Dark Winds for a fifth season. Consisting of eight hour-long episodes, Season 4 premieres Sunday, February 15 at 9pm ET/PT, exclusively on AMC and AMC+ with new episodes airing weekly on Sundays.
Dark Winds Season 5, which begins filming in Santa Fe, New Mexico in March, will also consist of eight, hour-long episodes set to debut in 2027.
“Over four seasons, Dark Winds has masterfully blended compelling character-driven stories, Navajo culture, spirituality and breathtaking cinematography. We are elated to continue the journey alongside showrunner John Wirth and the incomparable Zahn McClarnon,” said Dan McDermott, Chief Content Officer of AMC Networks and President of AMC Studios. “Our extraordinary producing and creative team, cast and crew have crafted a gripping crime drama that continues to be embraced by fans and widely celebrated by critics. We can’t wait to share more of this incredible story with audiences across the globe.”
“Thank you to Kristin Dolan, Dan McDermott, and all of AMC Networks for continuing to support and believe in Dark Winds,” said executive producer and star Zahn McClarnon. “It’s such a privilege to embody the character of Joe Leaphorn, and I’m excited to return to Santa Fe with this amazing cast and crew to craft another thrilling season of the show that means so much to all of us.”
Said executive producer and showrunner John Wirth, “For four seasons now AMC Networks has provided us with the opportunity to entertain audiences through the unique lens of a traditional crime story set on the Navajo Nation in 1972. We are one of one and never take this strong support for granted. Thanks to everyone at AMC Networks, our talented writing staff, stunning cast, and a Santa Fe crew that’s become a training ground for Native artists, we’re thrilled to be coming back for a fifth season of Dark Winds.”
Executive produced by Robert Redford and George R.R. Martin and acheiving a 100% Rotten Tomatoes score for its first three seasons, Dark Winds stars Zahn McClarnon, Kiowa Gordon (The Red Road, Roswell, New Mexico), Jessica Matten (Rez Ball, Tribal, Burden of Truth) and Deanna Allison (Accused, Edge of America) and follows Lt. Joe Leaphorn (McClarnon), Jim Chee (Gordon) and Bernadette Manuelito (Matten) of the Navajo Tribal Police solving mysteries on their reservation as it is besieged by increasingly violent crimes in the 1970s. Viewers can watch the captivating first three seasons on AMC+ and via The AMC Collection on Netflix.
The gripping fourth season focuses on the search for a missing Navajo girl, which takes Leaphorn (McClarnon), Chee (Gordon) and Manuelito (Matten) from the safety of Navajo Nation to the gritty terrain of 1970s Los Angeles in a race against the clock to save her from an obsessive killer with ties to organized crime.
Each season also sees a prominent roster of guest stars, which for Season 4 includes Franka Potente (Run Lola Run, The Bourne Supremacy) as Irene Vaggan; Isabel DeRoy-Olson (Fancy Dance) as Billie Tsosie, a decisive and resourceful Navajo teenager who wants nothing more than the freedom to connect with her people outside of her boarding school but quickly finds herself in over her head with only her cunning and resilience keeping her alive; Chaske Spencer (The Twilight Saga, Blindspot) as Sonny, a recruiter for a Los Angeles crime ring who through his charm and menace lure young Native American men recently relocated to the city from their reservations into a life of crime; Luke Barnett (The Crossing Over Express) as FBI Special Agent Toby Shaw who arrives searching for answers to a mystery involving one of his friends, and Titus Welliver (Bosch, Bosch: Legacy, Ricky, Abraham’s Boys) as Dominic McNair, a ruthless crime boss who imports and exports drugs and stolen luxury goods into and out of Los Angeles. Season 4 also sees the return of A. Martinez (Longmire, Days of Our Lives) as Scarborough Police Department Acting Chief Gordo Sena.
Based on the iconic Leaphorn & Chee book series by Tony Hillerman, Dark Winds is created by Graham Roland (Tom Clancy’s Jack Ryan, The Returned, Almost Human, Fringe). Wirth (Hell on Wheels, Hap and Leonard) serves as showrunner. The series is executive produced by Redford, Martin, Roland, Wirth, McClarnon, Chris Eyre, Tina Elmo, Jim Chory, Thomas Brady, Max Hurwitz, Vince Gerardis and Anne Hillerman.”
The premiere date for season five will be announced later.
What do you think? Do you enjoy this AMC series? Are you glad it has been renewed?
