‘Dark Winds’ Renewed For Season 2 At AMC & AMC+

Peter White
·2 min read
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Dark Winds, the Native-led Western noir crime thriller, will be back for a second season.

AMC and its sister streaming service AMC+ have renewed the drama series starring Zahn McClarnon, and it will return for another six-episode run next year.

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It comes after the series, which is produced by AMC Studios, drew 2.2M viewers on AMC for its June 12 launch in Live+3 ratings, making it the No. 5 cable drama premiere of the current season. The company said it also was the No. 1 new series launch in AMC+ history.

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Set in 1971 on a remote outpost of the Navajo Nation near Monument Valley, Dark Winds follows Lt. Joe Leaphorn of the Tribal Police (McClarnon) as he is besieged by a series of seemingly unrelated crimes. The closer he digs to the truth, the more he exposes the wounds of his past. He is joined on this journey by his new deputy, Jim Chee (Kiowa Gordon). Chee also has old scores to settle from his youth on the reservation. Together, the two men battle the forces of evil, each other and their own personal demons on the path to salvation.

It also stars Jessica Matten, Deanna Allison, Rainn Wilson, Elva Guerra, Jeremiah Bitsui, Eugene Brave Rock and Noah Emmerich.

The series, which has been drawing rave reviews for its portrayal of Native people on television, is based on the Leaphorn & Chee book series by Tony Hillerman.

Created and executive produced by Graham Roland, Dark Winds is exec produced by McClarnon, alongside Robert Redford, George R.R. Martin, Anne Hillerman, Chris Eyre, Vince Calandra, Vince Gerardis and Tina Elmo.

Redford optioned Hillerman’s book collection more than three decades ago.

The first season focuses primarily on the book The Listening Woman, with elements of People of Darkness, and the production worked closely with the Navajo Nation. With special permission, 70% of Dark Winds was filmed on tribal lands at Tesuque Pueblo in New Mexico, using their facility Camel Rock Studios. Another 30% of the series was filmed on tribal lands at Cochiti Pueblo, also in New Mexico.

“This once-in-a-lifetime creative team and cast have delivered something truly special with Dark Winds,” said Dan McDermott, president of entertainment and AMC Studios for AMC Networks. “We can’t wait to share the rest of this thrill ride of a first season with the fans and follow Joe Leaphorn and Jim Chee into a second season on AMC and AMC+ next year. Overwhelming gratitude to our entire production team and a special thanks to executive producers Robert Redford, George R.R. Martin, Chris Eyre and of course Zahn McClarnon, who also leads the cast and brings humanity, authority and the wisdom of richly lived experiences to everything he does.”

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