‘Dark Winds’ Season 4 is almost here and the mystery gets darker
‘Dark Winds’ Season 4 is almost here and the mystery gets darker
A new case pushes Joe Leaphorn and his team far beyond Navajo Nation and into Los Angeles.
“Dark Winds” is back, and yeah, this season looks bigger and darker in the best way. One of the best psychological thrillers on streaming returns for Season 4 with a new mystery that pushes Lt. Joe Leaphorn and his team far beyond the borders of the Navajo Nation. The first episode drops Sunday, Feb. 15, on AMC and AMC+, with new episodes rolling out weekly after that. If you’re ready to jump back in, here’s everything you need to know about the fourth season of “Dark Winds.”
How to watch ‘Dark Winds’ Season 4
- When: Sunday, Feb. 15, 2026 at 3:01 a.m. ET
- TV: AMC+
- Stream: Watch with a subscription to AMC+.
- From anywhere: Watch with a subscription to a VPN.
Everything you need to know about ‘Dark Winds’ Season 4
When will episodes of ‘Dark Winds’ Season 4 air?
“Dark Winds” Season 4 premieres Sunday, Feb. 15, 2026. It will first be available to stream on AMC+ beginning at 3:01 a.m. ET, and it will then air on the AMC cable channel at 9 p.m. ET.
The season runs eight hour-long episodes, and new episodes will air weekly at the same streaming and cable times every Sundays. This isn’t a binge drop. It’s very much a week-to-week show, which honestly fits the slow-burn mystery vibe it does so well.
| Date | Episode | AMC+ Time (ET) | AMC Time (ET) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Sunday, Feb. 15 | Kǫ’Tsiitáá’ Álnééh (Baptism by Fire) | 3:01 a.m. | 9 p.m. |
| Sunday, Feb. 22 | Bikéé’ Doo Éédahoozįįdę́ę́góó (Toward Their Unknown Paths) | 3:01 a.m. | 9 p.m. |
| Sunday, March 1 | Ahááldláádígíí (That Which Has Been Torn Apart) | 3:01 a.m. | 9 p.m. |
| Sunday, March 8 | Ni’ Ániidí (The New World) | 3:01 a.m. | 9 p.m. |
| Sunday, March 15 | Atída’ahiilyaágíí (Those Who Harmed One Another) | 3:01 a.m. | 9 p.m. |
| Sunday, March 22 | Shíká Nidanitáhą́ą́ (Those who were searching for me) | 3:01 a.m. | 9 p.m. |
| Sunday, March 29 | Nániikai (We Came Back) | 3:01 a.m. | 9 p.m. |
| Sunday, April 5 | Ni’ Hodisxǫs (The Glittering World) | 3:01 a.m. | 9 p.m. |
Can you watch episodes of ‘Dark Winds’ Season 4 for free?
Yes, potentially. AMC+ offers a seven-day free trial, which means you can check out the Season 4 premiere without paying upfront. If you time it right, you could catch the first episode and maybe the second during that window.
You can also watch the show live on AMC through the DIRECTV Entertainment package, which comes with a five-day free trial. That’s the better option if you want to watch it live as it airs and also have access to a full live TV streaming lineup.
AMC+
AMC+ is a premium subscription streaming bundle owned by AMC Networks. It offers curated access to award-winning originals, indie films, and prestige television. Launched in June 2020, the service combines content from AMC with flagship brands such as BBC America, IFC, Sundance TV, Shudder, Sundance Now, and IFC Films Unlimited, delivering a rich library of exclusive programming and early episode access.
Watch the Season 4 trailer for ‘Dark Winds’
What is ‘Dark Winds’ Season 4 about?
Season 4 of “Dark Winds” kicks off with the search for a missing Navajo teenage girl, and it immediately turns into a race against the clock for Joe Leaphorn, Jim Chee, and Bernadette Manuelito. What starts close to home doesn’t stay there for long. Pretty quickly, the case drags them out of the Navajo Nation and straight into the gritty sprawl of 1970s Los Angeles.
And the deeper they go, the messier and more dangerous it gets. They’re not just chasing clues anymore. They’re up against an obsessive killer with real ties to organized crime, operating in a world that feels nothing like the one they know. The change in setting cranks the stakes way up and forces everyone into unfamiliar territory, both on the job and personally. This season also marks Zahn McClarnon’s television directorial debut, on top of his continuing to anchor the show as Joe Leaphorn and serve as an executive producer.
Who stars in ‘Dark Winds’ Season 4?
Zahn McClarnon is back as Lt. Joe Leaphorn, and honestly, the show still runs on his performance. He plays Leaphorn with this quiet steadiness where you can feel the weight of every choice he makes, even when he’s barely saying anything at all. Kiowa Gordon returns as Jim Chee, too, and it’s been great watching that character grow from the eager FBI trainee into a more confident investigator who’s really starting to trust his own instincts.
Jessica Matten is back as Bernadette Manuelito, and Deanna Allison returns as Emma Leaphorn. Season 4 also brings in some new faces, including Franka Potente, Isabel DeRoy-Olson, Chaske Spencer, Luke Barnett, and Titus Welliver. Welliver plays a ruthless Los Angeles crime boss with deep ties to the season’s central mystery, which should tell you right away that this case isn’t staying small.
Who is behind ‘Dark Winds’?
“Dark Winds” is based on the Leaphorn & Chee novels by Tony Hillerman and is created for television by Graham Roland. John Wirth serves as showrunner. The series is executive produced by a stacked group that includes Robert Redford and George R.R. Martin, which still feels kind of wild but absolutely works here. Zahn McClarnon is also an executive producer and steps behind the camera this season, directing the second episode of Season 4.
Is ‘Dark Winds’ based on a book?
Yep, it is. “Dark Winds” is based on the Leaphorn & Chee mystery novels by Tony Hillerman. The books follow Navajo Tribal Police officers Joe Leaphorn and Jim Chee as they investigate crimes across the Southwest, mixing classic detective stories with Navajo culture, history, and a really strong sense of place.
The show doesn’t adapt one book per season or stick too tightly to a single storyline. Instead, it pulls ideas, characters, and themes from across the novels and reshapes them for TV. That flexibility has helped the series grow without losing what makes Hillerman’s work so special. The respect for culture, the moral complexity, and the way the land itself feels like part of the story are all still there.
How to catch up with ‘Dark Winds’
If you’re not caught up yet, all three previous seasons of “Dark Winds” are streaming on AMC+. Season 1 lays the groundwork, but the show really finds its groove in Seasons 2 and 3, so it’s worth watching straight through if you can. If you’re jumping in now, you’ve got plenty of time to catch up before Season 4 premieres.
Are you excited for ‘Dark Winds’ Season 4? Let us know in the comments below.
Dark Winds
This psychological thriller follows two Navajo police officers, Leaphorn and Chee, in the 1970s Southwest as their search for clues in a grisly double murder case forces them to challenge their own spiritual beliefs and come to terms with the trauma of their pasts.