AMC chief praises ‘Dark Winds’ success and gives an exciting update on Season 5: 'Over four seasons...'
'Dark Winds' will blow on the Navajo reservation for another season as the psychological thriller series was renewed for a fifth season by AMC Networks on February 5. The news came 10 days before Season 4 premiered on February 15 on AMC and AMC+. Production for Season 5 will get underway in Santa Fe, New Mexico, in March, and it will premiere with eight hour-long episodes, planned for 2027. The crime thriller series is adapted from Tony Hillerman's 'Leaphorn & Chee' book series and is set in the 1970s on the Navajo reservation. Its premise follows the criminal investigations of three Navajo Tribal Police officers - Joe Leaphorn (Zahn McClarnon), Jim Chee (Kiowa Gordon), and Bernadette Manuelito (Jessica Matten).
Dan McDermott, the chief content officer of AMC Networks and president of AMC Studios, said in the press release, "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." The lead star, McClarnon, who made his directorial debut with episode 2 in Season 4, added, "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."
Showrunner John Wirth echoed a similar sentiment by thanking the bosses at "AMC Networks, our talented writing staff, stunning cast, and a Santa Fe crew that’s become a training ground for Native artists," before adding that his team was 'thrilled' to return for 'Dark Winds' Season 5.
With the first two episodes underway, Season 4 will focus "on the search for a missing Navajo girl, which takes Leaphorn (McClarnon), Chee (Gordon) and Manuelito (Matten) from 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." It is is based on the sixth book in the series titled 'The Ghostway' (1984). 
Isabel DeRoy-Olson joins the current season of 'Dark Winds' as Billie Tsosie, alongside Franka Potente as Irene Vaggan, Chaske Spencer as Sonny, Linda Hamilton as Barbara Sena, Luke Barnett as FBI Special Agent Toby Shaw, Avery Hale as Albert Gorman, and 'Bosch' star Titus Welliver as the crime boss Dominic McNair. Returning stars include A. Martinez as Sheriff Gordo Sena, DezBaa' as Helen Atcitty, Ernest David Tsosie as Roger, Sarah Luther as Joyce Leaphorn, and Melissa Chambers as Gladine.
Among the show's executive producers are the late Robert Redford, George R.R. Martin, Chris Eyre, Jim Chory, Tina Elmo, Thomas Brady, Vince Gerardis, Max Hurwitz, Anne Hillerman, Roland Wirth, and McClarnon. All eight episodes of Season 4 will air on AMC from February 15 to April 5 at 9 p.m. ET/PT. The episodes can also be streamed on AMC+.
