4 Years Later, AMC’s Western Noir Thriller Is Already Considered a Classic
Collider has published a feature arguing that AMC's Dark Winds, which first aired four years ago, has already earned the status of a modern television classic. The piece places the Western noir thriller alongside acclaimed series such as Breaking Bad, Game of Thrones and Stranger Things, praising it as a distinctive genre mash-up that has sustained critical and audience acclaim across four seasons.
The series, executive produced by George R.R. Martin and the late Robert Redford, is set in the 1970s and adapts Tony Hillerman's mystery novels, relocating classic noir from cities such as New York or Los Angeles to the Navajo Nation. It follows Lt. Joe Leaphorn (Zahn McClarnon), FBI agent Jim Chee (Kiowa Gordon) and Sgt. Bernadette Manuelito (Jessica Matten) as they investigate cases involving robberies, cults, hitmen and conspiracies. The article highlights the show's authentic engagement with Navajo/Diné culture, guided by on-site cultural consultants and Native American writers, and notes that a fifth season is now underway.
- Dark Winds is hailed as an already-classic Western noir after four seasons.
- It blends Western, noir and 1970s Navajo Nation settings distinctively.
- A fifth season is currently in production.