While there’s no question that both Yellowstone and Dark Winds should be counted among the best neo-Western shows available for streaming, the latter series is one of several such Westerns which are frequently overlooked as a consequence of Yellowstone’s overwhelming popularity.
Dark Winds Is The Best Neo-Western Show Of The 2020s
It could be argued that, as a period drama set half a century ago, Dark Winds isn’t technically a neo-Western. However, the show examines specifically neo-Western themes – namely, the functioning of indigenous American tribes in the modern United States, where they coexist within and alongside the social order imposed on them from the outside.
The show explores this theme from the perspective of three law enforcement officers, Joe Leaphorn, Jim Chee and Bernadette Manuelito, policing Navajo tribal land in the Four Corners area of the United States. Each season’s plot primarily concerns a murder investigation, which is depicted with the foreboding undertones and oblique aesthetic of a neo-noir thriller.
Dark Winds is one of several recent Western shows that are better than Yellowstone, and the most prominent example among the shows released in the 2020s. Based on novelist Tony Hillerman’s Leaphorn & Chee stories, its characters are carefully crafted, nuanced portrayals of Native American culture.
| Season |
Yellowstone Rotten Tomatoes Score |
Dark Winds Rotten Tomatoes Score |
| 1 |
58% |
100% |
| 2 |
89% |
100% |
| 3 |
100% |
100% |
| 4 |
91% |
– |
| 5 |
79% |
– |
Yet, the crime elements in Dark Winds are fully thought-out and grounded in realism. In Yellowstone, meanwhile, violent crimes are often committed purely to illustrate the brutal nature of the Wild West, or to drive narratives of internecine personal conflict.
Why Yellowstone Is More Popular Than Dark Winds
As great as Dark Winds is, though, it’s nowhere near as popular as Taylor Sheridan’s most famous neo-Western series. Yellowstone’s series finale broke streaming records for the genre by drawing over 11 million viewers.
Dark Winds has neither a Hollywood mega star nor family melodrama to attract people in the same way. Yellowstone also moved to Netflix at the right time to gain an even bigger following, and was credited with reviving the TV Western years before Dark Winds appeared on AMC. Nevertheless, for any fan of the genre this underviewed gem is a must-watch.
