Warning! This article contains SPOILERS for Dark Winds season 3.ThoughDark Windsseason 3 is over, fans of Zahn McClarnon’s Joe Leaphorn already have the perfect, six-season replacement show to watch while waiting for season 4.Dark Windsseason 4was confirmed before the third season even began. However, after theending ofDark Windsseason 3, there’s still a long time to wait until Leaphorn, Chee (Kiowa Gordon), and Bernadette (Jessica Matten) are back. There are also plenty of storylines to look forward to inDark Windsseason 4, like Bernadette and Chee’s long-awaited romance and Joe’s quest to earn Emma’s (Deanna Allison) forgiveness, so the wait may be too long for some viewers.
Dark Windsis certainly a unique show, so there’s not a perfect replacement for it out there. No other series highlights Navajo culture and tradition as well asDark Windsdoes, and very few crime thrillers are as well-written and surprising.There is one show, however, that bears an almost eerie similarity toDark Winds, and it can definitely help fans pass the time until season 4. It even features Zahn McClarnon and A Martinez (Sheriff Gordo Sena) much earlier in their careers, and all six seasons of it are available to stream right now.
Dark Winds Fans Will Love Longmire (& Zahn McClarnon Plays Another Tribal Police Officer In It)
McClarnon Played Mathias In Longmire A Decade Before He Played Leaphorn In Dark Winds
Possibly the best replacement forDark Windswhile waiting for season 4 isLongmire, which has six seasonsavailable to stream on Paramount+.Longmirefollows the titular Sheriff Walt Longmire (Robert Taylor) and his small police department as they solve murders and other crimes in rural Wyoming.It’s a detective procedural in the same vein asDark Winds, butLongmirefeatures a new mystery with each episode, rather than overarching stories lasting entire seasons. It also features a similar focus on Indigenous peoples: Walt’s county is directly adjacent to the Cheyenne reservation, and his cases often spill onto the reservation.
There are so many parallels that Dark Winds almost feels like a spiritual successor to Longmire.
Structurally,Longmireis very similar toDark Winds, but the similarities go much deeper than that.Zahn McClarnon had a recurring role in all six seasons ofLongmireas Mathias, another tribal police officer like Joe Leaphorn. AnotherDark Windsstar - A Martinez, who plays Gordo - also had a recurring role inLongmireas Jacob Nighthorse. Even Walt himself seems reminiscent ofDark Winds: he’s another leader of an understaffed police force, and his wife’s unsolved murder bears a lot of similarities to Joe Junior’s death. There are so many parallels thatDark Windsalmost feels like a spiritual successor toLongmire.
Zahn McClarnon Was Great In Longmire, But He’s So Much Better In Dark Winds
McClarnon Stood Out In Longmire, But Dark Winds Proved He’s An Emmy Contender
As previously mentioned, Zahn McClarnon had a recurring role inLongmire. His character, Mathias, got more important as the show progressed, and McClarnon was great in the relatively little screen time he had.As good as he was inLongmire, Zahn McClarnon is even better inDark Winds. McClarnon is perfectly cast as Joe Leaphorn, and he acts as the most central part of the show’s emotional core.
For instance, Joe’s dream sequence inDark Windsseason 3, episode 6wouldn’t have been possible if McClarnon wasn’t as fantastic as he is. He’s been so good that many people even thinkMcClarnon should earn an Emmy. McClarnon’s performance inDark Windshas been an absolute acting tour de force, butLongmireis still more than worth watching for fans of the show.
McClarnon doesn’t have the same prominence as he does inDark Winds, buthe managed to turn a relatively simple character into a highlight ofLongmire. Mathias starts out as a foil to Walt, but by theending ofLongmire, he becomes a complex ally and a righteous man. At the very least, ifDark Windsdoes end up securing Zahn McClarnon an Emmy, thenLongmirewill serve as proof that his talent has been there all along.
Dark Winds
Cast
Dark Winds is a 2022 television series based on Tony Hillerman’s Leaphorn & Chee novels. Set in 1970s Navajo Nation, it follows Lieutenant Joe Leaphorn (Zahn McClarnon) and Officer Jim Chee (Kiowa Gordon) as they investigate a double murder case. The show delves into both mysticism and the stark realities of life on a Native American reservation, balancing crime-solving with rich cultural narratives and character development.
Longmire
Based on the novels by Craig Johnson, Longmire is a Western drama series that follows Walt Longmire, the sheriff of a rural Wyoming town who deals with several mysteries around the city and the Indian Reservation within. Longmire partners with his friend, Henry Standing Bear, to navigate the strained relationships and challenges associated with jurisdictional lines between the differing law enforcement teams and the troubles Native Americans deal with regularly.
