Dark Winds
Cast & Key People
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Our Review
Cast & Key People
▶
Our Review
Dark Winds (2022) is a crime and thriller series from AMC+. It has built a run of 28 episodes. It premiered on June 12, 2022. Viewers rate it 7.5 out of 10. It is currently running. It runs 5 seasons.
What Dark Winds Is About
Based on the iconic Leaphorn & Chee book series by Tony Hillerman, Dark Winds is a psychological thriller that follows two Navajo police officers in the 1970s Southwest, as their search for clues in a grisly double murder case forces them to challenge their own spiritual beliefs and come to terms with the trauma of their pasts.
What to Expect When You Watch
The format keeps each instalment self-contained enough to drop into, the full run covers 28 episodes, spread across 5 seasons and it leans into its crime/thriller roots while leaving room for the quieter character beats.
Performance-wise the series leans on Zahn McClarnon, Kiowa Gordon and Jessica Matten to carry the emotional weight, with the rest of the ensemble filling out the world around them.
Cast and Creative Team
Zahn McClarnon, Kiowa Gordon, Jessica Matten, Deanna Allison, Elva Guerra and Franka Potente lead the cast.
Key roles include Zahn McClarnon as Joe Leaphorn; Kiowa Gordon as Jim Chee; Jessica Matten as Bernadette Manuelito; Deanna Allison as Emma Leaphorn; Elva Guerra as Sally Growing Thunder.
Why It Stands Out
Fans of crime, thriller and mystery have a clear reason to give this one a shot. It sits comfortably alongside AMC+’s other originals, a 7.5/10 audience score puts it in steady company and it commits to its premise instead of hedging between tones.
Released in 2022 and carried by AMC+ with the series still running, it lands hardest with crime and thriller viewers.
How Dark Winds Compares
If Dark Winds lands for you, the next stops are Breaking Bad, The Wire and The Sopranos, which share its crime/thriller lean.
Each of those sits at a different point on the same spectrum, so they make a natural follow-up once you finish the run here.
Where to Stream
Dark Winds comes from AMC+. Check your preferred platform for current availability, since regional rights move around.
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On the whole Dark Winds is the kind of series that rewards a patient watch, with Zahn McClarnon and Kiowa Gordon doing the heaviest lifting, a tone that stays true to its crime/thriller roots, It has held up since 2022 and so if the premise sounds like your lane, the execution holds up.
The Bottom Line
Dark Winds is a safe bet for anyone already inside the crime and thriller lane, at 28 episodes it is an easy run to work through, the audience score holds around 7.5/10 and so there is little risk in starting it tonight.
Verdict: 7.5/10. Watch it if you want crime/thriller you can settle into.
