#‘Dark Winds’ Snags Season 3 Renewal at AMC

Leaphorn and Chee will remain on the case at AMC.

The cable channel and sibling streamer AMC+ have renewed Dark Winds for a third season. The pickup comes about three weeks after the conclusion of the drama’s second season, which ranks among the top 10 cable dramas for this season. AMC is aiming for an early 2025 premiere date for season three, with writing and production to resume after strikes by writers and actors come to an end.

Based on the Leaphorn & Chee novels by Tony Hillerman, Dark Winds — which was an effort some 30 years in the making — stars Zahn McClarnon and Kiowa Gordon as Navajo detectives Joe Leaphorn and Jim Chee and counts Robert Redford and George R.R. Martin among its executive producers.

“We started this journey with very high hopes for this series, given the remarkable source material and extraordinary creative team behind it, and it has delivered on every level,” said Dan McDermott, president entertainment and AMC Studios for AMC Networks. “From the beloved novels, to an incredibly collaborative producing team that includes Robert Redford, George R. R. Martin, showrunner John Wirth and star Zahn McClarnon, to the entire cast and crew, there is so much storytelling yet to come in this universe. Thanks to the fans for embracing this series and the critics for celebrating and shining a light on it.”

The series averaged 1.7 million viewers in Nielsen’s three-day ratings for its second season. AMC (like most other media companies) doesn’t release detailed streaming figures but says that the show’s performance on AMC+ improved over season one.

Jessica Matten, Deanna Allison and Elva Guerra also star. Guest stars for season two include Jeri Ryan, Nicholas Logan, A Martinez and Joseph Runningfox. More than 90 percent of the cast and crew for season two are Indigenous.

Graham Roland (Jack Ryan) created Dark Winds, with Wirth (Hell on Wheels) serving as showrunner. They executive produce with McClarnon, Redford (who owns rights to Hillerman’s novels), Martin (a longtime friend of Hillerman’s), Anne Hillerman, Chris Eyre, Vince Gerardis and Tina Elmo.

In addition to AMC and AMC+, Dark Winds is currently streaming on Max as part of a “programming pop-up” that showcases several AMC Networks series through Oct. 31.