George R.R. Martin’s 1970s Crime Thriller Is Keeping an Incredible Streak Alive

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Deanna Allison as Emma Leaphorn and Jenna Elfman as Sylvia Washington in Dark Winds Season 3

Published Feb 13, 2026, 5:35 PM EST

Makuochi Echebiri is a News Writer for Collider. He has been interested in creative writing from as far back as high school, and he would consume pretty much anything that’s film or TV. However, his truest love lies in the presence of historical epics and thrillers.

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George R.R. Martin is a genius. If that wasn't clear before, it should be now. With the success currently being enjoyed by A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms, it is a testament to that truth. And despite the writer's struggles with finishing one eagerly anticipated novel series, there is still some time to work on other projects. For instance, his crime drama has consistently proven that it can run on its own merits.

Dark Winds, AMC’s resident neo-Western crime drama, executive produced by Martin and the late Robert Redford, has remained a favorite for years. The series is based on the Leaphorn & Chee novels by Tony Hillerman, and follows a trio of Navajo Tribal Police officers in the 1970s Southwestern United States. Their adventure will continue when the series returns for a fourth season starting February 15, 2026, at 9 PM ET/PT on AMC and AMC+. The powerhouse performances from Zahn McClarnon and the clever mysteries each season dives into form the basis for why it has become a fan favorite so far. An exciting update for Season 4 sees the series expand beyond the Navajo Nation.

Looking ahead to the premiere, Season 4's initial Rotten Tomatoes score has been revealed, and it continues a trend of perfection for the series, which both Martin and Redford would be proud of. According to the aggregator site, Season 4 sits at 100% based on six reviews. This is not a rarity for the series, as every single season of the show so far has a perfect score from critics. The stakes for AMC's 1970s-set crime thriller are set to heighten in Season 4 as sixteen-year-old girl Billie Tsosie (Isabel DeRoy-Olson, Fancy Dance) is missing from Navajo country, and she's made her way to Los Angeles. The Navajo police trio of veteran Joe Leaphorn (McClarnon), fresh-faced Jim Chee (Kiowa Gordon), and the ever-reliable Bernadette Manuelito (Jessica Matten) are on the case, and on the road to the City of Angels. Season 4 will introduce new faces, including a fearsome crime boss played by Titus Welliver, who wants Billie dead, and Franka Potente as the brutal survivalist Irene Vaggan, who is sent to carry out the act.

Is 'Dark Winds' Worth Watching?

Dark Winds holds a lot of gravitas with critics and audiences alike, as its series score on Rotten Tomatoes shows 100% and 76%, respectively. So just how good is Dark Winds? Writing in his review of Season 3, Collider's own Michael John Petty pointed out the series' quality and how it has continued to distinguish itself in an overcrowded field of crime dramas:

"Frankly, it's hard to find things about a show like Dark Winds to nitpick. The longer season may contribute to a bit of an uneven pace, and it (at first) feels strange that Bernadette is so separated from the rest of the cast. Indeed, certain elements of each respective mystery could have been condensed, offering audiences a more easily digestible plot. However, more Dark Winds is never a bad thing. The show is clearly well-crafted by showrunner John Wirth and the rest of the writers, who have well-succeeded in their construction of a mystery series that continuously lives up to the hype."

Dark Winds is streaming now on AMC+ and will return for Season 4 on February 15.