Critical response
For the first season of Dark Winds, review aggregator website Rotten Tomatoes reported a 100% approval rating with an average rating of 8.1/10, based on 36 reviews. The website’s critical consensus reads, “Zahn McClarnon is riveting as a coiled cop in Dark Winds, a solid procedural that derives much of its texture from an underrepresented cultural milieu.”[50] Metacritic, which uses a weighted average, assigned a score of 80 out of 100 based on 19 critics, indicating “generally favorable reviews”.[51]
For the second season, Rotten Tomatoes reported a 100% approval rating with an average rating of 8.2/10, based on 17 reviews. The critical consensus reads, “Dark Winds‘ sophomore season is just as captivating as its predecessor, with Zahn McClarnon reaffirming his indispensable gravitas as a leading man.”[52] Metacritic assigned a score of 84 out of 100 based on 9 critics, indicating “universal acclaim”.[53]
For the third season, Rotten Tomatoes reported a 100% approval rating with an average rating of 8.4/10, based on 12 reviews. The critical consensus reads, “Dark Winds‘ third season tests Lieutenant Joe Leaphorn’s resolve more than ever before, providing the outstanding Zahn McClaron with some of his best material yet.”[29] Metacritic assigned a score of 84 out of 100 based on 10 critics, indicating “universal acclaim”.[54]
The Navajo Times criticized the series for lacking authenticity in its representation of Navajo people and language.[55] Series director Chris Eyre responded to the criticism, and commented, “It’s critically important to all of us that we represent the culture correctly. If there’s course-correction to be made, we’re happy to do that.”[56] For the second season, the series hired Navajo cultural advisor George R. Joe to help create more accurate portrayals of the Navajo culture.[57]
Yikes, I just searched my drafts and found the below sitting there from 2023. I can’t believe it.
Dark Winds is an American psychological thriller television series created by Graham Roland based on the Leaphorn & Chee novel series by Tony Hillerman. It premiered on AMC and AMC+ on June 12, 2022, with the first season consisting of six episodes.[1] After its premiere, the series was renewed for a six-episode second season, which is set to premiere on July 30, 2023.
Executive producers
Graham Roland
Zahn McClarnon
George R. R. Martin
Robert Redford
Anne Hillerman
An interesting mix.
DARK WINDS
100% AVERAGE TOMATOMETER
84% AVERAGE AUDIENCE SCORE
Rotten Tomatoes critics like it.
News to me. I hope it is better than Yellowstone.
Steve knew Tony Hillerman. I read a couple of the novels and liked them ok even if I don’t much read fiction.
update April 2, 2025
I saw the first half of season 2 last night and it was ok. Pretty standard TV except for the Navajo setting. There was an episode called Antigonish which is a town near by. At first I wrote it off as coincidence but to my surprise it references the town. I am still unclear why but it seems to be about a poem of the same name set there. A bizarre bit of synchronicity I never expected. Life is strange and everything is connected.
I’ve watched it from the get-go. Like it a lot.
update April 2, 2025