The Navajo crime drama Dark Winds took some time to get to season 3, but AMC is fast-tracking season 4 this year for 2026.
Season three of AMC’s drama Dark Winds is set to finally hit screens on March 9. It has taken over a year to get this new season going since its greenlight in 2023, but Deadline is now reporting that the AMC network has already renewed Dark Winds for a fourth season before the third officially broadcasts. The newly approved season is set to start its production in Santa Fe, New Mexico, just as the season three episodes drop on AMC this March and has been scheduled to air in 2026. Season four will follow this year’s output with eight episodes since the show picked up steam and the first two only showcased six episodes each.
Based on the Leaphorn & Chee novels by Tony Hillerman, Dark Winds takes place in the 1970s Southwest and follows two Navajo police officers, Leephorn (Zahn McClarnon) and Chee (Kiowa Gordon). The series was created by Graham Roland with John Wirth as showrunner. Roland and Wirth also serve as executive producers alongside Zahn McClarnon, Anne Hillerman, Chris Eyre, Vince Gerardis, Tina Elmo, George R.R. Martin, and Robert Redford.
“We started this journey with very high hopes for this series, given the remarkable source material and extraordinary creative team behind it, and it has delivered on every level,” said Dan McDermott, president of entertainment and AMC Studios for AMC Networks. “From the beloved novels, to an incredibly collaborative producing team that includes Robert Redford, George R. R. Martin, showrunner John Wirth and star Zahn McClarnon, to the entire cast and crew, there is so much storytelling yet to come in this universe. Thanks to the fans for embracing this series and the critics for celebrating and shining a light on it.”
Additionally, season four will also mark the directorial debut of Dark Wind‘s star and executive producer Zahn McClarnon. According to Deadline, “The third season picks up six months after the events of season two and follows Leaphorn and Chee as they investigate the disappearance of two boys, with only an abandoned bicycle and blood-stained patch of ground left in their wake. Meanwhile, Bernadette Manuelito (Matten) attempts to settle into her new life 500 miles from home with the Border Patrol, but stumbles across a conspiracy involving human and drug smuggling with far-reaching implications.”
