Netflix’s steady supply of original series receives a regular infusion of library editions, including August’s bountiful harvest of so many AMC shows. That includes The Walking Dead: Daryl Dixon, soon to premiere a second season, and Kevin Can Go F**k Himself, which concluded with two seasons although streaming viewers have been curious about a third installment. Meanwhile, the underappeciated Dark Winds truly will receive a third season that will air on AMC and stream on AMC+, presumably to land on Netflix at a later date.
The show hails from producers Robert Redford and the currently stressed-out George R.R. Martin, and if you were wondering, the fact that “Winds” is in the title of this noir crime thriller did make those waiting for Winds of Winter wonder if GRRM was trolling them (again?). However, Dark Winds stands on its own merits with no dragons needed to fuel the stories of 1970s-set Navajo Nation law enforcement. These officers handle everything from robberies to murders near a remote outpost while wading through personal and spiritual matters, too, so let’s get down to business with what we can expect next.
Plot
Dark Winds is adapted for the screen (from Tony Hillerman’s novels featuring Lieutenant Joe Leaphorn and Sergeant Jim Chee) by Native American writers, and over 90 percent of all cast and crew are Indigenous, which speaks to AMC’s commitment to bring Native stories to the forefront.
As viewers are aware, the first Dark Winds season adapts The Listening Woman involving a double murder, which is only one crime investigated by Lieutenant Joe Leaphorn (Zahn McClarnon), who finds that each case is linked back to the mine explosion that killed his son. The second season follows Leaphorn’s continued search for answers on his son’s death while adapting People of Darkness, and after that season finale, director Chris Eyre expressed hopes for more while noting the abundance of source material to draw from. “I think Tony wrote 18 books,” Eyre remarked to Variety. “And his daughter, Anne Hillerman, is continuing the series, and she has about five books, I think. So there’s 23 novels to cull from.”
AMC hasn’t provided a third-season synopsis yet, but the New Mexico Film Office published these clues on its website:
Season three picks up six months after the events of season two as the duo investigates the disappearance of two boys, with only an abandoned bicycle and a 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.
These details (if still accurate) could indicate that the third season is adapting Hillerman’s The Sinister Pig novel as the backbone of this season’s plot, and presumably, we’ll see more hints from AMC before the third season arrives. In early July, as well, Chee actor Kiowa Gordon and AMC revealed on Instagram that the show was “almost done filming Season 3 in beautiful New Mexico!” And the finished project cannot come soon enough for AMC viewers and a newfound influx of Netflix subscribers.
Cast
Zac McClarnon (Fargo) returns as Lt. Joe Leaphorn with Kiowa Gordon (Roswell, New Mexico) as Jim Chee and Jessica Matten (Burden of Truth) as Sgt. Bernadette Manuelito. Beyond this trio, the third season will include an array of guest stars: Jenna Elfman as FBI Special Agent Sylvia Washington; Raoul Max Trujillo as as Budge; Bruce Greenwood as Tom Spenser; Christopher Heyerdahl as Dr Reynolds; and Tonantzin Carmelo, Alex Meraz, and Terry Serpico as Border Patrol agents.
Release Date
AMC has been close-lipped so far about the series’ return date, but in Fall 2023, a network statement pointed towards “a target premiere date in early 2025.” In early September 2024, George R.R. Martin began teasing that the season would arrive “soon,” but GRRM is not exactly the most reliable source when it comes to dates, so AMC’s previous window stands: early 2025.
Trailer
Until a teaser surfaces, and it shouldn’t be too long, since filming is wrapped, we will be all over it. Until then, here’s the Dark Winds cast discussing the importance of representation for Native American voices.
