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AMC officially announced Dark Winds Season 4 on February 24, 2025, before the latest season even aired.
Season 3, expanded to eight episodes, premiered on March 9, 2025.
Created by Graham Roland and based on Tony Hillerman’s Leaphorn & Chee novels, the series follows Lt. Joe Leaphorn (Zahn McClarnon), Jim Chee (Kiowa Gordon), and Bernadette Manuelito (Jessica Matten) as they solve crimes on their Navajo reservation in the 1970s.
The filming for the new season has already begun in March in Santa Fe, New Mexico, and is set to consist of eight episodes, similar to its predecessor. Zahn McClarnon, who leads the series as Joe Leaphorn, will also make his directorial debut in Dark Winds season 4.
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In an interview with the network in February 2025, Dan McDermott, president of entertainment and AMC Studios, spoke extensively about the renewal of the series.
“When we greenlit the first season of Dark Winds, we saw the potential for an authentic and long-running franchise that could live alongside the worlds we were building around The Walking Dead and Anne Rice,” said Dan to the network following the announcement.
He continued to add that everyone delivered on their expectations, and the audience, too, has responded positively to their western noir thriller series. He also suggested that some great storytelling is yet to follow in Dark Winds season 4.
“That is exactly what this cast and creative team delivered, and the fans have responded. It starts with Tony Hillerman’s unforgettable novels, cared for and attended to by a producing team that includes the likes of Robert Redford, George R. R. Martin, Chris Eyre and our showrunner John Wirth, and – at the center of everything – the truly extraordinary Zahn McClarnon and the entire cast. Fans have embraced this series on AMC/ AMC+ and made it a top 10 show on Netflix for a solid month last fall. There is so much great storytelling yet to come in these expanded third and fourth seasons.” Dan continued to speak about the renewal.
The announcement for Dark Winds Season 4 has been well-received by the viewers
AMC's western noir thriller series has received positive feedback from both the critics and the audience. As per IMDb, the series has a positive rating of 7.7/10 with over 24,000 user reviews. The latest installment has been highly praised by critics, with a score of 100% based on 13 reviews on the review aggregator website Rotten Tomatoes.
Many users expressed their excitement on the social media platform X following the announcement of Dark Winds season 4. The lead for the series, Zahn McClarnon, has also received a special mention for his performance from many viewers.
X user, @PatLynnFor, recommended the series to her followers and also praised Zahn for his work in the latest installment.
"Dang, our favorite series, Season 3, ended tonight. If you haven't watched Dark Winds (AMC), you are missing some great mystery and some wonderful characters. Zahn McClarnon is truly doing some great work here. Now the long wait for season 4," said the user.
Another user was seemingly excited about Dark Winds season 4 confirmation and expressed it with the use of a GIF featuring John Rambo going berserk with a gun.
"Season 4 of Dark Winds confirmed let’s gauuurrrrr!," the user expressed their excitement.
An X user bid the series a temporary farewell and awaits patiently for Dark Winds season 4.
"Goodbye for now, DARK WINDS! We will be waiting right here for season 4! Come home soon!," wrote the X user.
Cast and Crew announcement for the upcoming season
As per AMC's official announcement regarding the release, Zahn McClarnon is set to make his directorial debut in Dark Winds season 4. Zahn spoke further in an interview with AMC in February 2025, following the announcement.
“I’m looking forward to exploring and inhabiting the character of Joe Leaphorn once again in Season 4, and I’m excited to make my directorial debut on a show that means so much to me," Zahn expressed his feelings regarding the announcement.
He also expressed his gratitude towards other cast and crew members of the show.
"I’d like to send my gratitude and appreciation to Kristin Dolan, Dan McDermott, and all of the hard-working folks at AMC Networks for their support and commitment to Dark Winds. And of course, I’m most thrilled to be spending time with this wonderful cast and crew whom I have grown to love." Zahn continued to express how thankful he is.
As per Deadline, Chaske Spencer and Franka Potente join the cast for the fourth season. Chaske is set to join as a recurring cast member, whereas Franka will feature in a key guest role. Zahn McClarnon, Kiowa Gordon, and Jessica Matten will reprise their lead roles from the previous installments. Dark Winds season 4 will debut exclusively on AMC and AMC+ in 2026.
Stay tuned for further updates.
