Image via AMC
Published Feb 9, 2026, 12:00 PM EST
Michael John Petty is a Senior Author for Collider who spends his days writing, in fellowship with his local church, and enjoying each new day with his wife and daughters. At Collider, he writes features and reviews, and has interviewed the cast and crew of Dark Winds. In addition to writing about stories, Michael has told a few of his own. His first work of self-published fiction – The Beast of Bear-tooth Mountain – became a #1 Best Seller in "Religious Fiction Short Stories" on Amazon in 2023. His Western short story, The Devil's Left Hand, received the Spur Award for "Best Western Short Fiction" from the Western Writers of America in 2025. Michael currently resides in North Idaho with his growing family.
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It's been said that there is simply no other show out there like Dark Winds, and even four seasons into this neo-Western noir drama, that statement remains true. It's not just that there haven't been other Native American-led shows out there — others do exist in our modern streaming landscape — but AMC struck gold with Dark Winds back in 2022, and it appears that the network has successfully unearthed more.
Although big names like George R.R. Martin and the late Robert Redford (to whom the Season 4 premiere is dedicated) likely helped get the show on the road, Dark Winds has proven time and again that it can run on its own merits. As I wrote in my review of Season 3 last year, the series set a high bar for itself from the very beginning, and that standard has been met yet again by Zahn McClarnon, Kiowa Gordon, Jessican Matten, and the rest of the cast — including, perhaps most notably, series newcomer Franka Potente.
What Is 'Dark Winds' Season 4 About?
Image via AMCAs is Dark Winds tradition, Season 4 presents audiences with another loose adaptation of a Tony Hillerman novel, this year tackling The Ghostway. Some time has passed since Emma (Deanna Allison) left McClarnon's Joe Leaphorn, and the break has been a time of meditation and personal healing for the lieutenant, who slowly reorients himself to traditional Navajo ways from which he's often strayed. But after a young girl from a local Catholic school is reported missing, Joe reunites with Jim Chee (Gordon) and Bernadette Manuelito (Matten) to track her down — but they aren't the only ones on the prowl. Potente's Irene Vaggan is also after her, and she's not the type of hired gun you'd want to be caught dead standing beside, let alone in front of. Season 4 is largely a race against time, as the Navajo Tribal Police trio compete with Vaggan to see who can find Billie Tsosie (Isabel DeRoy-Olson) first — an investigation that spans beyond Navajoland and into '70s Los Angeles.
Since AMC first greenlit the series, its biggest asset has always been the casting of Zahn McClarnon, who also serves as executive producer. Over the past three seasons, McClarnon has more than proven himself as a strong and resilient leading man who understands the complicated psychology of this depiction of Joe Leaphorn as if it were his own. After the personal horrors he endured in Season 3, McClarnon's Joe seems to have just taken his first breath of fresh air in years — and after where we left him last, we can't help but smile at the thought. He still wants Emma back, of course, but he's taking the time to better himself and find the balance in his life that he had lacked for far too long. Letting go of the tragedies and mistakes that have long held him back, Joe leans into the man he once was, and Dark Winds is better for it. Although Joe's future is not quite in doubt like it was last season, McClarnon makes every moment count, and he's still just as charming on screen. The Western star infuses a hopeful enthusiasm into the character that was certainly missing last year, one underlined masterfully by a commitment to his on-screen bride — even from afar.
Before Season 4 even flirts with the idea of heading west, the premiere, "Kǫ'Tsiitáá' Álnééh (Baptism by Fire)," opens with a literal bang that echoes throughout the whole season. Dark Winds wastes no time before introducing us to its latest antagonistic force in Irene Vaggan, the seemingly heartless killer who is on the hunt for the wayward schoolgirl and those closest to her. A gender-bent version of the character from Hillerman's novel, Potente reinvents this absolute machine of an assassin in every frame, turning her into a terrible force reminiscent of The Terminator. An opening shootout at a local diner is a bloody affair that sets the tone for the whole season, as if reminding us that there's plenty of gas left in the tank. Make no mistake, Season 4 is the most intense that Dark Winds has ever been, with high personal and professional stakes that could change the reservation forever.
Kiowa Gordon and Jessica Matten Bring Their A-Game to 'Dark Winds' Season 4
Image via AMCIn terms of those stakes, Dark Winds is at its best when it leans into the dynamic between Gordon and Matten, who explore what Jim Chee and Bernadette Manuelito might look like together on the job. Upon Bern's return to the Rez last season, the pair have struck up the genuine romance that fans have been waiting on pins and needles for since the show began. Although that spark has become a steady flame, it isn't without its own unique challenges that could easily put the whole thing out. Things get particularly complicated when Joe asks Bern to return to the tribal police, putting her almost instantly at odds with the part that Chee has learned to play so effortlessly since she left. It's not quite the will-they/won't-they tension of seasons past, but it gives both Gordon and Matten loads to work with.
We've seen Jim Chee grow quite a bit since his FBI and private-eye days, and this year is no different. In adapting The Ghostway (a novel that featured Chee as its driving force), Season 4 naturally highlights the Navajo sergeant as perhaps the most dynamic member of the core cast — a testament both to the talented writers behind the series and the star who performs their work. No doubt, Gordon has a feast of meaty drama to devour across the season's eight episodes, and he does so with ease by offering a new side to Chee that we've only seen hinted at before. For fans of the Hillerman books, Season 4 is yet another step closer to Chee becoming more like his novel counterpart, especially after this season's take on "ghost sickness," which showrunner John Wirth teased months ago. In some ways, Gordon is Dark Winds' unsung secret weapon, which comes across best in the moments our hero grapples with the untapped potential of his childhood trauma.
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Of course, Matten is no stranger to an excellent on-screen performance either, though hers is perhaps more understated by comparison. After everything that occurred at the border, Bern isn't entirely sure where she fits on the force, but that changes the moment she's pulled back in by Joe, who hopes that she might pick up where he considers leaving off. If Chee was the thread that connected the two last season, then Matten is the glue between her co-stars this year.
'Dark Winds' Season 4 Lives Up to the High Bar It's Already Set
Image via AMCAfter binging all eight episodes of Dark Winds Season 4 (don't worry, this is a spoiler-free zone), what makes this season land is distinct character arcs, an indestructible villain, and the potential for future mysteries. Admittedly, the plot stretches a bit thin at times, and the venture to Los Angeles may feel like an unnecessary detour to those who have grown accustomed to the breathtaking vistas and shrubby chaparral of the New Mexican desert. But the fact is that Dark Winds knows how to pack a powerful punch, and it doesn't take its temporary shift in location (or its overarching mystery) lightly. Likewise, some may feel that the longer episode count lends to more uneven pacing than the first two seasons' tighter six-episode structure. While there may be something to that criticism, you'll likely forget all about it the further you dive into Season 4.
There is, however, one small gripe I'll make: the general lack of Deanna Allison. After not appearing at all in the Season 3 finale, Dark Winds takes its sweet time reintroducing us to Emma, who has moved to Los Angeles and begun a new life and career in the big city. After how instrumental she was to the Navajo community early on in the show, her absence is felt not just in Joe's life, but in the lives of those around the Rez as well. It almost feels like a disservice to Emma's arc not to better explore her time in between seasons, especially after we've seen how much Joe has grown. If there's one thing Season 4 could've used more of, it was her. In that same vein, more A Martinez, who is always a delight as Gordo, would have been welcome as well (though maybe I'm biased because I'm still itching for a Longmire reunion...).
These small issues aside, Dark Winds Season 4 continues to live up to expectations. With a killer writing staff behind this series, each twist and turn is as unexpectedly delightful as the last. I'd love to speak more about the talented force that is Franka Potente this year, but I'd be too afraid of spoiling something along the way. Her on-screen chemistry with McClarnon works uncomfortably well, and seeing her in action brings back horrific memories of Nicholas Logan's Colter Wolf from Season 2.
I'd also be remiss not to mention newcomers Chaske Spencer (yes, there is another Twilight reunion this season), Luke Barnett, and Bosch himself, Titus Welliver, as well, who are all solid additions to this season that elevate the material beyond the Navajo Nation. One thing Dark Winds has always done so well is balance its main cast with big-name guest stars and recurring faces without overshadowing its main players in the process, and the show once again succeeds here. If you were worried that Dark Winds may begin to dip in neo-Western quality over the years, don't be. Leaphorn, Chee, and Manuelito have plenty of spirit left to keep the show going for many years to come.
Dark Winds Season 4 premieres February 15 on AMC and AMC+.
Release Date June 12, 2022
Network AMC
Directors Michael Nankin
Pros & Cons
- Strong leads carry the series even when we're not quite sure where it's going.
- Franka Potente lives up to the hype as the series' most frightening villain yet.
- Though a bit odd, the move to '70s Los Angeles plays to the show's strengths.
- Joe's flirtations with retirement are a bit tiresome, since the show wouldn't work without him.
- Not enough Deanna Allison across the board.
English (US) ·