‘Dark Winds’ Renewed For Season 4 At AMC; Zahn McClarnon To Make Directorial Debut

There will be more Dark Winds on AMC.

The network has renewed the thriller for a fourth season. The news comes ahead of the premiere of its third season on March 9.

Season four of the series, which stars Zahn McClarnon, will begin filming in Santa Fe, New Mexico in March and will air in 2026.

Much like season three, it will consist of eight episodes. Seasons one and two consisted of six episodes.

The news is not a huge surprise given the boost that Dark Winds seems to have got from its airing on Netflix. The first two seasons of the show are currently on the streamer and after they dropped in August, they remained in Netflix’s top ten for over three weeks. Dark Winds also aired on Warner Bros. Discovery’s Max as part of a two-month pop-up in 2023.

Season four will also feature the directorial debut of star and exec producer McClarnon.

The series, which also stars Kiowa Gordon, Jessica Matten and Deanna Allison, 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.

The third season picks up six months after the events of season two and follows Leaphorn and Chee as they investigate the disappearance of two boys, with only an abandoned bicycle and blood-stained patch of ground left in their wake. Meanwhile, Bernadette Manuelito (Matten) attempts to settle into her new life 500 miles from home with the Border Patrol, but stumbles across a conspiracy involving human and drug smuggling with far-reaching implications.

It will also feature guest stars including Jenna Elfman as FBI Special Agent Sylvia Washington, Bruce Greenwood as Tom Spenser, Raoul Max Trujillo as Budge, Tonantzin Carmelo as Border Patrol Agent Eleanda Garza, Alex Meraz as Border Patrol Agent Ivan Muños, Terry Serpico as Border Patrol Senior Chief Ed Henry, Derek Hinkey as Shorty Bowlegs, Phil Burke as Michael Halsey, and Christopher Heyerdahl as Dr Reynolds. A Martinez also returns as Scarborough Police Department Acting Chief Gordo Sena and Jeri Ryan returns as Rosemary Vines.

The series, which is based on Tony Hillerman’s Leaphorn & Chee book series, was created by Graham Roland, who exec produces alongside showrunner John Wirth, McClarnon, Robert Redford, George R.R. Martin, Chris Eyre, Tina Elmo, Jim Chory, Vince Gerardis and Anne Hillerman.

“When we greenlit the first season of Dark Winds, we saw the potential for an authentic and long-running franchise that could live alongside the worlds we were building around The Walking Dead and Anne Rice,” said Dan McDermott, president of entertainment and AMC Studios for AMC Networks. “That is exactly what this cast and creative team delivered, and the fans have responded. It starts with Tony Hillerman’s unforgettable novels, cared for and attended to by a producing team that includes the likes of Robert Redford, George R. R. Martin, Chris Eyre and our showrunner John Wirth, and – at the center of everything – the truly extraordinary Zahn McClarnon and the entire cast. Fans have embraced this series on AMC/ AMC+ and made it a top 10 show on Netflix for a solid month last fall. There is so much great storytelling yet to come in these expanded third and fourth seasons.”

“I’m looking forward to exploring and inhabiting the character of Joe Leaphorn once again in Season 4, and I’m excited to make my directorial debut on a show that means so much to me,” added Zahn McClarnon. “I’d like to send my gratitude and appreciation to Kristin Dolan, Dan McDermott, and all of the hard-working folks at AMC Networks for their support and commitment to Dark Winds. And of course, I’m most thrilled to be spending time with this wonderful cast and crew whom I have grown to love.”

Season three will simulcast on AMC, BBC America and SundanceTV, as well as stream on AMC+ at 9pm on March 9.