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Dark Winds (2022)

2022 · Crime,Drama,Mystery · crime-procedural, historical-period, period-near-history

Dark Winds poster

Dark Winds is a US prestige crime drama set on the Navajo Nation reservation in the early 1970s, following tribal police officers navigating overlapping mysteries — homicides, an armored-car heist, and industrial conspiracy. The show earns its prestige credentials through a career-best lead performance from Zahn McClarnon, meticulous period authenticity, and writing that weaves multiple plot threads without losing coherence. Its cultural distinctiveness — a Native American-led story told with respect rather than exoticism — is consistently cited as both its most unusual quality and its greatest asset. The tone is a slow-burn thriller with genuine tension, grounded in landscape and character rather than action spectacle. Adapted from Tony Hillerman's novels, it engages both loyal readers and newcomers.

From the reviewers

Zahn McClarnon has been good in just about everything he's ever been in but he's finally given a chance to be a lead and he excels at it. I could actually see him getting nominated for an Emmy for his work here, he's that good.
The show doesn't pull any punches when it comes to showing the overt and systematic racism faced by Native Americans in the 1970's (not to suggest it's strictly a thing of the past), but so far it's not falling into the trap of portraying the native people as 'noble savages,' either.
This is simply good drama, and the fact that it's set on a Navajo reservation just enhances the drama rather than over-relying on it or using it as a shtick.
because the writing is so good, it's very easy to follow the various intersecting plot lines
The chemistry between Kiowa Gordon (Jim Chee) and Jessica Matten (Bernadette Manuelito) adds a heartfelt dimension to the series, providing moments of warmth amidst the tension.

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