George R.R. Martin’s 28-Episode Western Masterpiece Beat Taylor Sheridan At His Own Game

Though Yellowstone is often considered the king of neo-Westerns, Game of Thrones creator George R.R. Martin created another show that beat Taylor Sheridan at his own game. Yellowstone is undeniably one of the best Western shows of the last decade and, arguably, one of the best Western shows ever made. Between its quality, the long list of Yellowstone spinoff shows it spawned, and the role it played in reviving the Western genre as a whole, it’s impossible to overstate just how important Yellowstone is.

As important as Yellowstone is to the Western genre as a whole, it’s not the best example of the genre. That honor actually goes to Dark Winds, a neo-Western created by George R.R. Martin and Robert Redford and based on the “Leaphorn and Chee” novels by Tony Hillerman. The show follows three police officers of the Navajo Tribal Police — Joe Leaphorn, Jim Chee, and Bernadette Manuelito — as they solve supernatural mysteries in the 1970s.

While it may sound like a cross between Supernatural and Longmire, Dark Winds is one of the greatest neo-Western shows ever made, and it has a lot of evidence to back it up. The reviews for Dark Winds earned the show a rare 100% approval rating on Rotten Tomatoes in all four of its seasons, the show regularly tops Netflix’s streaming charts, and it’s even made a case for multiple Emmy Awards, though it hasn’t yet won any. Most importantly, it’s better than Yellowstone.

Dark Winds Is A Better Neo-Western Than Yellowstone

Yellowstone is a great neo-Western show, there’s no denying that. Taylor Sheridan’s writing is top-notch, it tells a sprawling generational story filled to the brim with drama and action, and it wouldn’t be nearly as popular as it is if it weren’t great. Saying that Dark Winds is better than Yellowstone isn’t a slight against Sheridan’s flagship show, it’s very high praise for Dark Winds.

Dark Winds does pretty much everything that counts for a neo-Western better than Yellowstone does. Whereas Yellowstone often feels like a soapy family drama, Dark Winds is a decidedly tense and suspense-driven thriller that feels decidedly Western. Its story is directly tied to the West and the people who live there, namely the Navajo people and their culture and folklore. That story even questions some of the myths surrounding the Old West and interrogates American history much more sharply than Yellowstone ever dares to.

Most importantly, Dark Winds is just a better show than Yellowstone is. Every part of Dark Winds‘ mysteries are perfectly laid out and paced from episode to episode. Each season is filled to the brim with twists, surprises, and great villains, and all of them feel very well earned. It also has some of the most compelling characters on TV that are played by brilliant actors. Though it hasn’t earned Emmy attention, there’s a case to be made that Zahn McClarnon, Kiowa Gordon, and Jessica Matten are all due for awards for their performances.

Dark Winds also does an exceptional job of being unapologetically unique. Between the Navajo mythology, the primarily Indigenous cast and crew, and the top-notch costuming and storytelling, there isn’t another show on television that feels anything like Dark Winds. It’s a truly one-of-a-kind show, and no amount of praise can truly convey just how much of a masterpiece neo-Western Dark Winds is.

Why Dark Winds Isn’t As Popular As Yellowstone

Michael Moriatis / AMC

Though Dark Winds is a better neo-Western than Yellowstone, there’s no denying that the latter is far more popular than the former. After all, Yellowstone became a cultural sensation, spawned several spinoff shows, and made Taylor Sheridan one of the most famous writers in Hollywood. Dark Winds, by comparison, has a fraction of the audience, far less cultural ubiquity, and never became a massively successful franchise unto itself.

There are a few big reasons Dark Winds never got as popular as Yellowstone. The first is its network; Dark Winds premieres on AMC, a channel with its own dedicated streaming service that is, frankly, not that popular. Older seasons migrate to Netflix after about a year, and while that does drastically increase their reach, it comes far too late for Dark Winds to gain any significant momentum. If it were on a major streaming service from the start, Dark Winds would easily be a lot more popular.

Another reason for its relative lack of popularity is its cast. Though Dark Winds has some of the finest actors in Hollywood giving some simply breathtaking performances, they’re hardly A-list stars. Zahn McClarnon is no Kevin Costner, and no amount of emotionally moving acting can make up for the lack of name recognition. George R.R. Martin and Robert Redford are big names, but Kevin Costner, Harrison Ford, Helen Mirren, and the other stars Taylor Sheridan attracts are much better at getting viewers to tune in.

It would also be foolish to ignore the impact race has on the show; Dark Winds is made by and for Native American people. It discusses the history of abuses and trauma Indigenous peoples have experienced, while Yellowstone is predominantly about white people and experiences they can relate to. Obviously, most viewers aren’t opposed to Dark Winds solely on the basis of race, but one of those shows is far better suited to catering to the predominantly white makeup of the neo-Western genre’s audience than the other.

While these factors may make Dark Winds less popular than Yellowstone, they don’t take anything away from the show’s quality. Dark Winds is a hidden gem that is largely overshadowed by Yellowstone, but don’t let that dissuade you from watching it. If you like neo-Westerns, police procedurals, or just good television in general, you’re going to like Dark Winds.

Release Date

June 12, 2022

Showrunner

John Wirth, Vince Calandra