If You Love Taylor Sheridan, You’re Sleeping on Dark Winds

If you only know Robert Redford for his legendary acting chops and directorial Oscar wins, I don’t blame you—most people don’t realize the guy was also a major behind-the-scenes force, right up until the very end. Not only did Redford headline classics like 'Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid,' 'All the President's Men,' and 'The Natural,' but he also built a pretty massive resume producing and backing all kinds of projects, both big and small, from the ‘70s on. The grand total? Just shy of 60 producing credits, which is much more than most Hollywood icons ever bother with once they're household names.

Where am I going with this? Redford’s swan song as a producer happens to be 'Dark Winds,' a crime drama that’s easily the best neo-Western on TV that doesn’t have Taylor Sheridan lurking somewhere in the credits. For anyone let down by what 'Yellowstone' spin-offs have been doing lately, this show is what you wanted, and then some.

Redford’s Last Act: 'Dark Winds'

'Dark Winds' landed on AMC in 2022, and it did more than just fill a slot in the crowded TV Western market—it crushed it. The show ran four seasons, wrapping up in 2026, and every single one pulled off the unicorn feat of a 100% Rotten Tomatoes score. In TV, that’s rarer than a drama about cowboys taking a week off.

The series is based on Tony Hillerman's long-running Leaphorn & Chee novels, with the story set smack in the Four Corners—where Utah, Colorado, Arizona, and New Mexico meet. The focus is on Navajo Tribal Police officers Joe Leaphorn (played by Zahn McClarnon) and Jim Chee (Kiowa Gordon) as they work cases ranging from the gritty to the truly bizarre. What sets 'Dark Winds' apart isn’t just the procedural crime angle; it’s the deep dive into Navajo culture, history, and landscape, stuff you just don’t see get this kind of care and screen time.

Zahn McClarnon in particular is the anchor here. His role as Leaphorn brings some actual, lived-in gravitas you rarely see—he’s in the conversation with other modern TV tough guys, like Jack Reacher or Tracker’s Colter Shaw, but with a lot fewer clichés crowding up the screen.

If you’re the type who loves trivia: Redford didn’t just sit back in the producer chair. He made a cameo—uncredited, of course—in the Season 3 premiere (titled 'Ye'iitsoh (Big Monster)'). There’s a short scene of him playing chess with fellow producer George R.R. Martin, and Redford delivers this line:

'The whole world is waiting. Make your next move.'

Small joke, big meta-wink, especially since everyone and their grandma is waiting for Martin’s next book. Here’s a bittersweet twist: Six months after that appearance, Redford died of natural causes at 89, in September 2025. 'Dark Winds' really ended up as the capstone to his remarkable career—in more ways than he probably planned.

Redford’s Legacy of Championing Native Stories

Here’s something that makes this all the more meaningful: Redford wasn’t just a famous name slapped on for prestige. He’s been a lifelong ally to Native American causes—supporting land preservation, Native rights, and he even had a friendship with Navajo Nation President Peterson Zah. If you're rolling your eyes at 'white Hollywood guy heroics,' just know Redford actually put his money and name into Native projects when it was decidedly uncool to do so in Hollywood.

And honestly, the connection goes way back—he felt a deep pull to the Navajo ever since playing the rugged loner in 'Jeremiah Johnson,' much of which shot on Navajo lands. He even named the Sundance Film Festival after his own iconic character, but his aim was always more about giving underrepresented filmmakers space to tell their stories.

Redford didn’t just find Hillerman’s novels—he adapted them before. Way back in 1991 he produced a film called 'The Dark Wind,' adapting Hillerman’s book with director Errol Morris (who usually sticks to documentaries, which is a story on its own) and starring Lou Diamond Phillips as Jim Chee. Most people slept on that version, but it shows this wasn’t a late-career whim for Redford – he genuinely cared about telling these stories right.

Cast, Crew, and What Makes 'Dark Winds' Work

• Zahn McClarnon plays Joe Leaphorn and carries the story through all four seasons.
• Kiowa Gordon is Jim Chee, Leaphorn’s partner and trusted second.
• Behind the scenes: Created by Graham Roland, with Redford and George R.R. Martin as key executive producers, and a creative team made up of both Native and non-Native talent—another rarity in this business.
• While Taylor Sheridan’s shows get more buzz, 'Dark Winds' is the one with actual regional authenticity, historical context, and depth—without the gloss or melodrama that plagues 'Yellowstone' spin-offs like 'Marshals' and 'The Madison.'

So, if you’re itching for a great Western drama with legit character work, cultural depth, and a story that never takes the easy way out, you really shouldn’t sleep on 'Dark Winds.' Redford helped make sure these stories got their due—on his way out, and throughout his career. Not a bad way to sign off.