AMC Renews Drama Series Just Ahead of New Season

AMC has greenlit a fifth season for its popular noir drama Dark Winds ahead of Sunday’s Season 4 premiere.

AMC Networks announced Thursday that Dark Waters would begin filming its fifth season, which is slated for eight hour-long episodes, in Santa Fe, N. Mex., this March. The season is expected to premiere in 2027.

The drama, which is based on the book series by Tony Hillerman, follows Lt. Joe Leaphorn (Zahn McClarnon), Jim Chee (Kiowa Gordon) and Bernadette Manuelito (Jessica Matten) of the Navajo Tribal Police as they solve mysteries on their reservation, which is “besieged by increasingly violent crimes in the 1970s.”

Season 4 centers on the search for a missing Navajo girl, which takes the trio out of 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,” as per AMC.

Deanna Allison also stars as Emma Leaphorn, with A. Martinez returning as Scarborough Police Department Acting Chief Gordo Sena. Season 4 also features guest stars Franka Potente, Isabel DeRoy-Olson, Chaske Spencer, Luke Barnett, and Titus Welliver.

“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 in a statement Thursday. “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,” added executive producer and star 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.”

Continued 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.”

The series is executive produced by Roland, Wirth, McClarnon, Robert Redford, George R.R. Martin, Chris Eyre, Tina Elmo, Jim Chory, Thomas Brady, Max Hurwitz, Vince Gerardis and Anne Hillerman.

Dark Winds Season 4 premieres Sunday, Feb. 15 at 9 p.m. ET on AMC and AMC+.