Latest news with #NavajoTribalPolice
Business Upturn
28-04-2025
- Entertainment
- Business Upturn
Is Dark Winds season 4 happing? Everything we know so far
By Aman Shukla Published on April 28, 2025, 17:30 IST Last updated April 28, 2025, 11:43 IST AMC's Dark Winds has captivated audiences with its gripping neo-noir storytelling, rich Navajo cultural backdrop, and stellar performances. Following the success of its third season, fans are eager to know: Is Dark Winds Season 4 happening? In this, we dive into the confirmation status, release date speculation, cast updates, and potential plot details for the upcoming season. Is Dark Winds Season 4 Confirmed? Yes, Dark Winds Season 4 is officially happening! AMC announced the renewal in February 2025, ahead of the Season 3 premiere on March 9, 2025. Dark Winds Season 4 Release Date Speculation While AMC has not announced an exact premiere date, the network has confirmed that Dark Winds Season 4 will debut in 2026. Given that Season 4 filming began in March 2025, a release in late 2026—potentially between July and September—is likely, aligning with AMC's typical post-production timeline of 4–6 months. However, an earlier release in mid-2026 is possible if production wraps efficiently. Dark Winds Season 4 Expected Cast The core cast is expected to return, continuing the stories of the Navajo Tribal Police officers and their allies. Here's who to expect: Zahn McClarnon as Lt. Joe Leaphorn, the seasoned officer haunted by his past. McClarnon will also make his directorial debut in Season 4, helming the first episode. Kiowa Gordon as Jim Chee, Leaphorn's deputy navigating his own personal and professional challenges. Jessica Matten as Bernadette Manuelito, now with the Border Patrol but likely to reconnect with Leaphorn and Chee. Deanna Allison as Emma Leaphorn, Joe's supportive wife. Dark Winds Season 4 Potential Plot As Season 3 is still unfolding (with its finale airing in April 2025), specific plot details for Season 4 remain scarce. However, based on the show's trajectory and source material, we can speculate on key elements: New Case for the Tribal Police: Each season of Dark Winds introduces a central mystery, often drawn from Tony Hillerman's Leaphorn & Chee novels. Season 4 is expected to feature a fresh case, potentially inspired by the novel The Dark Wind , which involves a drug-smuggling plane crash, or another book from the 27-volume series (including Anne Hillerman's contributions). Leaphorn's Inner Struggles: Season 3 sees Joe Leaphorn grappling with guilt over his actions in Season 2, particularly his indirect killing of BJ Vines. This trauma, manifesting as a creature from Navajo folklore, may continue to haunt him, testing his moral and professional resolve. Chee's Journey: Jim Chee's reluctant return to the Navajo reservation in Season 3 sets the stage for further exploration of his identity and future. He may face decisions about staying or leaving again, especially after his emotional goodbye kiss with Bernadette in Season 2. Aman Shukla is a post-graduate in mass communication . A media enthusiast who has a strong hold on communication ,content writing and copy writing. Aman is currently working as journalist at
Yahoo
08-03-2025
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
'Dark Winds' star Zahn McClarnon credits show for 'humanizing and normalizing Native people on television'
Zahn McClarnon is back as Lt. Joe Leaphorn in the noir crime series Dark Winds, and this season, the Navajo Tribal Police officer is exploring the guilt and 'moral gray areas' that follow after choices made in Season 2. 'Exploring Joe Leaphorn's psyche this season … and what makes Joe tick, that's always exciting,' McClarnon told Yahoo Entertainment. 'I have fun doing that.' Season 3 of the AMC series premieres March 9 and is based on books by Tony Hillerman. This season, which sees the tribal police investigating the disappearance of two boys on the reservation, also stars fellow Indigenous actors Jessica Matten and Kiowa Gordon. See for yourself — The Yodel is the go-to source for daily news, entertainment and feel-good stories. By signing up, you agree to our Terms and Privacy Policy. McClarnon, who is Hunkpapa Lakota and an executive producer on the series, said that working with a Native cast and crew is 'a dream come true.' 'I think we've come a long way in this business as far as representation of Native communities, and I think we have a ways to go yet, and we want to keep it going,' he said. 'But I feel very fortunate that I've been able to experience it in my career. We're humanizing and normalizing Native people on television.' Not only does McClarnon star in and serve as an executive producer on the series, but he will also have his directorial debut in the recently announced Season 4. 'We're chipping away at those stereotypes and those tropes that we've been dealing with for a long time,' he said. 'We have more of a voice now, and it's very fortunate to be a part of that.' Gordon, who plays Navajo Tribal Police officer Jim Chee, agreed. 'It's great, because why the hell not?' he told Yahoo Entertainment. 'It's taken us long enough to get into these positions, and I just love to see it. It's great. Great for all of us. Great for morale. Great for setting up the next generation to believe in themselves that they can do it too.' For Canadian actress Matten, who is Red River Métis and Cree, the strong presence of Indigenous voices was 'nothing new to me.' 'I think it's more interestingly enough new to the States, but you know, my entire life I grew up with an Indigenous network, Indigenous storytellers, Indigenous executive producers, directors, writers,' Matten, who plays former tribal police officer and now Border Patrol officer Bernadette Manuelito, told Yahoo Entertainment. 'That's nothing new in my world, but again, it's really cool to be helping to lead the pack of being in that generation, introducing that to the United States and also globally.' Fans around the world have embraced the series, which boasts a producing team that also includes Robert Redford, George R.R. Martin and Cheyenne-Arapaho filmmaker Chris Eyre. The show has since brought on actors who are guest-starring and making fun cameos in Season 3. 'We have freaking Jenna Elfman,' Gordon exclaimed. 'Bruce Greenwood, Terry Serpico, just all these great players that came to play.' The Hualapai actor said it was meeting Elfman that he was most excited about. 'I don't know why I put people on pedestals, but I put people on pedestals, and she's one of those people,' he said. 'It's just intimidating when you meet somebody for the first time that you think you're close to, and in reality, you're not really. But in some sense, you are, and we're all doing the same thing.' The cast is hoping that fans of the series will appreciate the 'universal themes of family and community' in Season 3, McClarnon said. Championing the show as a way to 'share our stories' and create 'more understanding in the world, Matten said this season 'may be our best season.' As for the upcoming Season 4, Gordon said, 'I feel real great, feel grateful. It's nice to have a collective sigh of relief from the cast and crew to know that we'll be working again and seeing each other and not putting these characters to bed yet.' While the series will return, that doesn't mean the stars haven't thought about keeping some mementos from the set for themselves — especially given the 1970s-style clothing and set pieces. 'So legally, we're not allowed to take anything because we've got to keep it if there is another season,' Matten said. 'I think if anything, I would like to take one of the Bernie tops, just like one of our typical tribal ones. That would be cool.' 'Oh, I've taken a few things home. I can't say what, 'cause I'll get in trouble. They'll want them back,' McClarnon said. 'Actually, I took a hat from last season, a straw hat that I really liked. And I've got to take it back this season just in case Joe has to wear it again.' For Gordon, in addition to the custom suits that Chee wears, he said he's 'saving up my money' to buy the 'American muscle car' that's featured in the show. 'It'd be really fun to have one,' he said. 'If it ran well.' Season 3 premieres March 9 on AMC and AMC+.
Chicago Tribune
06-03-2025
- Entertainment
- Chicago Tribune
‘Dark Winds' review: In Season 3, a dark night of the soul for Lt. Leaphorn
It can be thrilling to watch an actor who understands that showy performances aren't all they're cracked up to be. That smaller, more nuanced choices can hold the screen with just as much magnetism. Sometimes even more. That's always been one of Zahn McClarnon's underrated strengths, and after a long career of standout supporting roles on 'Westworld,' 'Fargo' and 'Longmire,' he has rightfully assumed his place as a leading man playing Lt. Joe Leaphorn on AMC's 'Dark Winds,' back for a third season. The 1970s-set police procedural, based on the crime novels by Tony Hillerman, is also a moody and atmospheric psychological thriller that takes advantage of its dusty Southwest setting. The Navajo Tribal Police are called out to one such barren location, where a boy's bloody bicycle has been found. What happened? As Leaphorn tries to find out, his efforts are complicated by the arrival of an FBI agent (Jenna Elfman) who can barely hide her condescension when she tells him, 'I'm just here to button up a few open cases on the reservation.' But Leaphorn has other distractions as well. His marriage is becoming increasingly strained thanks to a skeleton in his closet — or more literally, a body in the desert — that threatens to come out. There's a terrible memory from his childhood that refuses to stay buried, as well. All of this comes to a head on a dark night of the soul that is foreshadowed in the season's opening moments. David Bowie's 'Space Oddity' plays as the camera slowly pans through the darkness, a fallen flashlight providing the only light. And then we see Leaphorn, sprawled on the ground, a dart in his neck. When he's finally able to crawl to his radio, he gasps: 'Send everyone. Now!' The show (created by Graham Roland, with executive producer Robert Redford popping up for blink-or-you'll-miss-it cameo) flashes back one week to the discovery of that bloody bicycle. Jim Chee (Kiowa Gordon) is Leaphorn's loyal, if sometimes hotheaded, right-hand man. In a parallel storyline, their former colleague Bernadette Manuelito (Jessica Matten) is now working several hours away as a Border Control officer, where she's stumbled upon a trafficking operation. Could be people who are being trafficked. Could be drugs. Either way, her supervisor isn't keen to have her investigate for reasons that are murky. Her narrative is the weakest of the season (which draws from two of Hillerman's novels, 'Dance Hall of the Dead' and 'The Sinister Pig'). How does this Diné woman feel about working for an agency enforcing borders that have been involuntarily foisted upon Indigenous people? I wish the show had explored some of those contradictions. But at least it offers this brief observation about police work more generally: 'It's impossible being a law man when our people get the punishment without the protection,' is how someone puts it. Leaphorn is forever trying to keep everyone's tempers in check as he goes about his day. He's driven by curiosity rather than a need to prove his dominance over others. Tonally (and perhaps unexpectedly), 'Dark Winds' has more in common with, and the deliberate pace of, British procedurals than it does your average American cop show. The quiet sounds are tantalizing, of boots walking on dry, rain-parched dirt and gravel, accompanied by the subtle jingle of the police equipment fastened to Leaphorn's work belt. Occasionally, there are moments that verge on ironic humor. A man is suffocated with a plastic bag printed with a smiley face and the words 'Have a nice day.' At one point, when Leaphorn pulls up at work, he sees his wife chatting with that suspicious FBI agent and his spouse cheerfully waves. He just stares back, dreading whatever is in store for him. It's a droll moment. 'You make a new friend?' he asks sarcastically when they're alone. 'Dark Winds' can feel somewhat airless when McClarnon isn't on screen. It's a performance that carries the show, especially with Leaphorn so haunted by his choices. 'When we are visited by monsters,' an elder tells him, 'it's a sign that something is out of balance in our lives.' But a vision from his dead father offers a different point of view: 'There's no such thing as monsters. There's just people who do bad things, and other people who do bad things to stop them.' 'Dark Winds' Season 3 — 2.5 stars (out of 4)
Yahoo
05-03-2025
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
Season 3 of AMC's 'Dark Winds' set to begin Sunday
The show 'Dark Winds' follows Navajo Tribal Police officers in the American Southwest in the 1970s. Season Three premieres Sunday, and actor and executive producer Zahn McClarnon and actress Jenna Elfman join Morning Joe to discuss.
New York Times
01-03-2025
- Entertainment
- New York Times
The Best Movies and TV Shows Coming to Disney+, Amazon, Max, Apple TV+ and More in March
Every month, streaming services add movies and TV shows to their libraries. Here are our picks for some of March's most promising new titles. (Note: Streaming services occasionally change schedules without giving notice. For more recommendations on what to stream, sign up for our Watching newsletter here.) New to Amazon Prime Video 'The Wheel of Time' Season 3Starts streaming: March 13 Season 1 of this handsome-looking fantasy series introduced the major characters and concepts from the first book of the novelist Robert Jordan's hefty 'The Wheel of Time' saga. Season 2 adapted parts of the second and third books, moving pieces into place for the grand apocalyptic battle prophesied at the start of the story. In Season 3, adapting 'The Shadow Rising,' the heroes are tested by a journey into a desert wasteland. Rosamund Pike returns as the mystic Moiraine, who is helping a group of young people escape the shadowy forces pursuing them, leading them on a journey across a magical realm in danger of falling into ruin — just as it did thousands of years ago. Josha Stradowski plays Rand al'Thor, who could be his land's last best hope to stand up against The Dark One, or the one to usher in a new age of chaos. Also arriving: March 6'For the Win: NWSL''Picture This' March 11'Iliza Shlesinger: A Different Animal' March 27'Bosch: Legacy' Season 3'Holland' New to AMC+ 'Dark Winds' Season 3Starts streaming: March 9 The novelist Tony Hillerman's 'Leaphorn and Chee' series provides the inspiration for this combination neo-western and neo-noir. Zahn McClarnon plays Joe Leaphorn, a lieutenant in the Navajo Tribal Police, who looks after his own people while holding a healthy suspicion of outsiders. Kiowa Gordon plays Jim Chee, Joe's deputy, who used to work undercover for the F.B.I., gaining intelligence on Indigenous political groups. 'Dark Winds' combines complex mystery plots with an insider's take on Navajo culture. Season 3 finds Joe and Jim investigating a mysterious disappearance in their jurisdiction while their colleague Bernadette Manuelito (Jessica Matten) begins a new job with the Border Patrol. Guest stars include Jenna Elfman and Bruce Greenwood, in a story that will leave Joe questioning his life's purpose. Also arriving: March 3'Recipes for Love and Murder' Season 2 March 7'Starve Acre' March 10'The Gone' Season 2 March 18'Wicked City' Seasons 1 and 2 Want all of The Times? Subscribe.
