When it comes to binge-watching your favorite shows, it’s always easier when the entire series is available in one place. For those who adore the neo-Western crime series Dark Winds, based on the mystery novels by Tony Hillerman, but don’t have access to AMC or AMC+, we have some good news for you. Just in time for the Fourth of July weekend, the entirety of Dark Winds Season 4 will be made available on Netflix alongside the rest of the multi-season Navajo drama — and we couldn’t be happier.
‘Dark Winds’ Season 4 Is Finally Coming to Netflix
For those who have only heard of Dark Winds but never partook in the series itself, now is your chance to get fully caught up. The 1970s period drama follows Lt. Joe Leaphorn (Zahn McClarnon) of the Navajo Tribal Police and his underlings Jim Chee (Kiowa Gordon) and Bernadette “Bern” Manuelito (Jessica Matten). Each season, this determined trio finds themselves investigating a new disappearance or murder that strikes the heart of the reservation, trying to maintain their dignity, sanity, and moral compass in the wake of an increasingly hostile landscape. Previous seasons have dealt with high-profile robberies, strange cults, and even the monsters that lie in wait in the shadows. Blending Navajo culture with neo-Western aesthetics and gritty mysteries laden with meaty psychological drama, this is the type of “firing on all cylinders” program you’ll want to tune into.
‘Dark Winds’ Season 4 Review: Zahn McClarnon’s Western Noir Thriller Packs a Powerful Punch With a New Villain
Franka Potente joins the AMC series as Leaphorn’s deadliest threat yet.
The adventures of Leaphorn, Chee, and Manuelito are a perfect binge for audiences looking for intense, character-driven mysteries with season-long plots that push our Navajo heroes out of their comfort zones. The fourth season, in particular, sends the trio to ’70s Los Angeles in search of a missing girl from the Rez, only to stumble upon a threat they wouldn’t have imagined. That threat comes in two forms. The first is the remarkably effective assassin Irene Vaggan (Franka Potente), who is far more disturbed than the usual hitmen who make their way to the small screen, followed by Titus Welliver‘s Dominic McNair, Vaggan’s boss, who may have more up his sleeve than Season 4 is able to get into. The killer crime drama is everything you could ask for from a period neo-Western, even when it takes our heroes out of the desert and into the big city. If you’ve enjoyed previous seasons of Dark Winds, then your next July binge is a no-brainer.
The sheer attention to detail on the Dark Winds set is impressive, and the production’s commitment to Navajo authenticity rivals any historically accurate Westerns. These elements, combined with the masterful character work by its stars and the creativity that bubbles from its writers’ room (under the guidance of showrunner John Wirth) has placed Dark Winds into must-watch category for many. Once you get a taste of Navajoland, you’ll be hooked.
There’s More In Store for ‘Dark Winds’ After Season 4
Of course, this July is also the perfect time to get caught up on the series before the highly-anticipated fifth season hits AMC. Dark Winds was renewed for more ahead of the Season 4 premiere, and fans can certainly understand why. Whether you fell in love with this series because of the Hillerman novels (on which the show is very loosely based) or after stumbling upon it knowing nothing about Leaphorn and Chee beforehand, there’s a reason this series has become a cult favorite among modern audiences. It continues to soar on streaming, and this upcoming Netflix update will no doubt result in the same. While Season 4 adapted The Ghostway, we’re still not quite sure which book will be the inspiration for the fifth season — however, considering the way that Season 4 ends, it can’t come fast enough.
Dark Winds Season 4 hits Netflix on July 4.
