"Dark Winds" returns for season 3 and Zahn McClarnon is at his absolute best

The Real Perspectives

March 9, 2025

AMC

The third season of the highly acclaimed series "Dark Winds" returns exclusively on AMC and AMC+ on March 9. This season delivers the best season for the series as Zahn McClarnon gives a riveting performance as Lieutenant Joe Leaphorn, filled with intensity and emotional pathos as our hero struggles with his conscience, loss, and deep-seated trauma. With tears in his marriage and a secret that has long since been buried, Leaphorn's internal struggles threaten to unravel the very fiber of his soul. This fantastic season will have 8 episodes, with weekly episodes released on Sundays through its season finale on April 27, 2025.

Created by Graham Roland with executive producers Roland, McClarnon, George R. R. Martin, and Robert Redford, the series is based on the Leaphorn & Chee novel series by Tony Hillerman and follows three Navajo Tribal Police officers led by Joe Leaphorn, Jim Chee, and Bernadette Manuelito in the 1970s, adapted from "Dance Hall of the Dead" and "The Sinister Pig." The series picks up six months after the events of Season 2, as Leaphorn and Chee investigate the disappearance of two boys, with only an abandoned bicycle and blood-stained patch of ground left in their wake. Meanwhile, Bernadette 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.

The cast list includes:

 Zahn McClarnon as Joe Leaphorn

 Kiowa Gordon’s Jim Chee

Jessica Matten‘s Bernadette Manuelito

Deanna Allison as Emma Leaphorn 

A. Martinez as Gordo Sena

Jenna Elfman as Sylvia Washington

Bruce Greenwood as Tom Spenser

Raoul Max Trujillo as Budge

Tonantzin Carmelo as Eleanda Garza,

 Alex Meraz as Ivan Muños

Terry Serpico as Ed Henry

Derek Hinkey as Shorty Bowlegs

Phil Burke as Michael Halsey

Christopher Heyerdahl as Dr. Reynolds

AMC

McClarnon gives a masterful, award-winning performance with range and depth that makes this season incredibly immersive. Thankfully, this season gives us two additional episodes of compelling drama as Leaphorn wrestles with his demons (Ye'iitsoh), both physically and emotionally, elevating this season with heartbreak and palpable emotions. The supporting cast also anchors this season with notable accolades to Deanna Allison, Kiowa Gordon, Jessica Matten, Jenna Elfman, and Bruce Greenwood, who gave layered performances in their respective arcs.

With the Navajo culture front and center, "Dark Winds" remains one of the few television shows that predominantly features American Indians and Indigenous peoples, positively highlighting the diversity of their culture and experiences, with real emotions focusing on their dreams, pain, and struggles with nuanced representation that adds a layer of authenticity to the series making it both refreshing and compelling to watch.

Six episodes were made available to critics for review, and "Dark Winds" continues to impress with its cinematography and strong character development. Visually, the series is stunning, with breathtaking shots of the New Mexico landscape that capture the vastness of the desert and its isolation. With a perfect balance of intrigue, mystery, and authentic representation, the series is well-executed, never sacrificing substance for style. "Dark Winds" is one of the best psychological thrillers on television today.

---

The first episode of Season 3 Premiere Sunday, March 9, 2025, 9 pm ET/PT on AMC & AMC+. Catch Seasons 1 and 2 available on Netflix.

---