Dark Winds Season 2 - What We Know So Far

"Game of Thrones" writer and executive producer George R.R. Martin teamed up with "The Sundance Kid" Robert Redford to bring home to audiences "Dark Winds." Based on the novels by Tony Hillerman, the series is a Western neo-noir psychological thriller that has attained incredibly impressive scores on Rotten Tomatoes.

"Dark Winds" features a talented cast bringing its fascinating story to life. Leading the way is Zahn McClarnon, who fans will recognize as Akecheta on "Westworld," as well as from "Reservation Dogs" and "Doctor Sleep." The six episodes of the first season followed McClarnon's character Joe Leaphorn, along with Jim Chee (Kiowa Gordon) and Bernadette Manuelito (Jessica Matten), who are tracking a brutal killer and investigating an armed truck robbery that has the attention of the FBI. As they dig deeper, they see that two events are linked, and not everything is as it seems. 

They begin to discover that a larger conspiracy is at work, and the end result was an exceptional endeavor that most assuredly left fans wanting more by the time the credits rolled. Luckily, their prayers have been answered as the show was renewed for a second season on June 21, 2022 (via Deadline), not long after the series premiere. With another set of entries on the way, fans certainly have plenty of questions regarding the show's highly anticipated sophomore run. Here is everything to know so far regarding "Dark Winds" Season 2.

There isn't an official synopsis for "Dark Winds" Season 2 yet, but there have been some indications as to what fans can expect when it comes to the narrative of the next set of episodes. As mentioned, the psychological thriller is based on the novels penned by Tony Hillerman. Altogether there are 21 books in the series following Joe Leaphorn and Jim Chee, with 18 written by Hillerman and three by his daughter Anne Hillerman after his death.

The first season was primarily based on "Listening Woman," which was published in 1978, while also taking parts from the entry released in 1980 titled "People of Darkness." There are numerous stories left to tell from the infamous series of Western neo-noir novels, and the creative minds behind the AMC Plus series may already know which book they'll be taking inspiration from next. 

In an interview with Variety, "Dark Winds" creator Graham Roland discussed their strategy regarding the source material and hinted that they might already know which novel is up next: "We talked a lot about the second season, even during the first one, and what book we would tackle next. We have one picked out. I don't know if I'm allowed to say what book it is. I don't want to step on the new showrunner's toes. But that's kind of our model, one book a season." All evidence suggests they will tackle at least one of the books next time around, and it will be exciting to figure out which one is chosen for "Dark Winds" Season 2.

When the "Dark Winds" Season 2 renewal was announced, the President of Entertainment and AMC Studios for AMC Networks revealed when the next set of episodes was due to release when talking about how excited he was for the fans of the series."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," shared Dan McDermott (via Variety).

A few months later, McDermott talked about the show's popularity in August and reiterated that the next season was coming in 2023 (via TV Line): "This series quickly became one of the breakout hits of the year, on both linear television and streaming, and we are looking forward to the ride continuing next year."

While there is no specific date, it seems the people behind the hit series are wasting no time in getting fans the next chapter, and all signs point to "Dark Winds" coming back at some point in 2023.

One change "Dark Winds" will experience in Season 2 will be the person serving as showrunner. Vince Calandra, whose credits include "Sharp Objects," "Castle Rock," and "Tom Clancy's Jack Ryan" (via IMDb) served as showrunner for the first six episodes of "Dark Winds." Calandra will be replaced by John Wirth, the new showrunner for the show's sophomore season. Wirth has some impressive credits on his resume, including "Wu Assassins," "Terminator: The Sarah Conner Chronicles," "Hap and Leonard," and another AMC series called "Hell on Wheels."

In an interview, Wirth discussed his excitement for returning to AMC and how thrilled he is to have the opportunity to work on a well-crafted series like "Dark Winds" (via Variety). "I'm delighted to be returning home to AMC to join the 'Dark Winds' team for Season 2 and roll up my sleeves alongside Zahn McClarnon, Chris Eyre, George R.R. Martin, Robert Redford, and others. I'm a long-time fan of the Tony Hillerman novels and am looking forward to working with my indigenous partners to bring his books and the world of the Navajo Nation to life on screen."

Before the arrival of "Dark Winds" Season 2, fans will probably want to catch up on all of the chapters that they might have missed if they are behind. Those who have finished the show may also want to take advantage of the opportunity to relive all of the thrills and chills the intriguing narrative has to offer all over again. And it isn't too late for the individuals on the fence who have yet to see the Western neo-noir series, with plenty of time to get in on all the stirring suspense before the next installment premieres.

All six well-crafted entries of the first season can be found along with bonus behind-the-scenes footage on the streaming service AMC Plus. Each episode has an estimated runtime of around 39 to 49 minutes in length and with only six available, "Darks Winds" becomes an instant binge-worthy contender for subscribers.

If people don't have a subscription to that particular streamer, episodes are also available for purchase on Amazon Prime, Apple TV, Vudu, YouTube, and Google Play.