Dark Winds will blow again at AMC.
The basic cable network has handed out a speedy second-season renewal for the drama series starring Zahn McClarnon. The series, which debuted June 12, has a rare 100 percent rating among critics on Rotten Tomatoes. Dark Winds will return next year for another six-episode season.
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“This once-in-a-lifetime creative team and cast have delivered something truly special with Dark Winds,” said Dan McDermott, president of entertainment and AMC Studios for AMC Networks. “We can’t wait to share the rest of this thrill ride of a first season with the fans and follow Joe Leaphorn and Jim Chee into a second season on AMC and AMC+ next year. Overwhelming gratitude to our entire production team and a special thanks to executive producers Robert Redford, George R.R. Martin, Chris Eyre and of course Zahn McClarnon, who also leads the cast and brings humanity, authority and the wisdom of richly lived experiences to everything he does.”
The Western noir ranks as the No. 1 series launch in AMC+ history; its series premiere ranks as the No. 5 cable drama of the current TV season and has drawn 2.2 million viewers with three days of delayed viewing.
Redford acquired the rights to George Hillerman’s books in 1986. Game of Thrones author Martin, the author’s friend from 1980 until Hillerman’s death in 2008, also exec produces the series, which comes with a price tag of $5 million an episode. Dark Winds filmed in three different sovereign nations, boasted a writers room of five Indigenous scribes and was primarily directed by filmmaker Chris Eyre. Graham Roland (Jack Ryan) created and executive produced the series that stars McClarnon (who also exec produces), Kiowa Gordon and Jessica Matten.
The renewal comes at a key time for AMC, which has already said farewell to Killing Eve and is wrapping Better Call Saul later this year with the conclusion of the flagship Walking Dead series set for 2023.
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