AMC’s gripping Native American crime drama Dark Winds is ramping up for its fourth season with two intriguing new cast members poised to deepen the show’s web of intrigue and cultural resonance. Isabel DeRoy-Olson, breakout star of Fancy Dance, and Luke Barnett, fresh from The Crossing Over Express, have been tapped to portray characters entangled in the high-stakes world of Navajo Tribal Police officers Joe Leaphorn and Jim Chee. Announced back in May, the additions signal a season packed with boarding school escapes, FBI meddling, and supernatural-tinged mysteries that promise to test the limits of loyalty and love in the 1970s Southwest. As production wraps in New Mexico, fans are buzzing about how these “twisted roles” will complicate the already thorny dynamics between leads Zahn McClarnon, Kiowa Gordon, and Jessica Matten.

DeRoy-Olson steps into the shoes of Billie Tsosie, a resourceful and fiercely independent Navajo teenager chafing under the constraints of a government-run boarding school. In an era when assimilation policies forcibly separated Indigenous children from their families and cultures, Billie’s character embodies the quiet rebellion of a generation fighting to reclaim their identity. “She’s got that spark—you can see her plotting her next move even in silence,” DeRoy-Olson told Deadline in a May interview, drawing from her own Lakota and Anishinaabe heritage to infuse the role with authenticity. The actress, 22, earned critical acclaim for her raw portrayal of a missing sister in 2023’s Fancy Dance opposite Lily Gladstone, and her casting here continues Dark Winds‘ commitment to showcasing emerging Indigenous talent. Billie isn’t just a side player; early teases suggest she’s central to the season’s core mystery—a runaway from the school whose disappearance drags Leaphorn, Chee, and Bernadette Manuelito into a web of “ghost sickness,” a Navajo concept blending grief, trauma, and the supernatural.

On the flip side, Barnett’s Toby Shaw arrives as a slick FBI special agent with an agenda that spells trouble for the tribal cops. Described as a “newbie fed who’s in deep from the jump,” Shaw infiltrates the group under murky pretenses, forcing Leaphorn and Chee to question alliances amid escalating threats. Barnett, 35, brings a chameleon-like intensity to the part, honed from roles in procedural heavy-hitters like 9-1-1: Lone Star and the indie thriller The Crossing Over Express. “Toby’s not your typical G-man—he’s got layers, and not all of them play nice,” the actor shared on Instagram post-announcement, hinting at moral gray areas that could fracture the team’s hard-won trust. His addition amps up the cat-and-mouse tension, echoing the show’s roots in Tony Hillerman’s Leaphorn and Chee novels, where federal overreach often clashes with tribal sovereignty.

Season 4, set to premiere in summer 2026, picks up threads from the Season 3 finale’s emotional wreckage: Leaphorn (McClarnon) grappling with widowhood after losing his wife Emma, only to navigate a tentative reconciliation with her memory through new love interests; Chee (Gordon) and Manuelito (Matten) testing the waters of their romance amid professional perils. Showrunner Graham Roland, who co-created the series with George R.R. Martin as an executive producer, teased in a Variety panel last month that this outing dives deeper into cultural taboos. “Ghost sickness isn’t just folklore—it’s the soul’s cry for healing in a broken system,” Roland said, nodding to the boarding school scandal that mirrors real historical atrocities like the U.S. government’s forced assimilation programs. The plot swirls around Billie’s flight and the ensuing investigation, laced with supernatural whispers that blur the line between myth and madness—think skinwalkers lurking in the desert shadows.

Filming kicked off in Albuquerque in late August 2025, under the direction of Michael Nankin and with McClarnon stepping behind the camera for his first episode as director—a milestone for the Reservation Dogs alum. The production, a joint effort between AMC Studios and Warner Horizon, continues its tradition of on-location shoots across Navajo Nation lands, employing over 200 Indigenous crew members per season. “We’re not just telling stories; we’re amplifying voices that Hollywood ignored for decades,” executive producer Tina Elia emphasized in a press release. Budget details remain under wraps, but with Season 3 drawing 4.2 million viewers on AMC+—a 20% uptick from prior outings—expect elevated stakes, including a guest spot for German actress Franka Potente as a enigmatic outsider.

The core ensemble returns intact, with McClarnon anchoring as the stoic Leaphorn, whose Season 3 arc explored paternal grief after his son’s tragic death. Gordon’s Chee evolves from wide-eyed rookie to conflicted partner, while Matten’s Manuelito asserts her forensic expertise amid budding domesticity. Supporting players like Deanna Allison (Emma) and A Martinez (Grandfather José) weave in familial threads, but the new blood injects fresh volatility. DeRoy-Olson’s Billie could spark a surrogate daughter dynamic for Leaphorn, echoing his lost child, while Barnett’s Shaw risks reigniting old resentments over jurisdictional turf wars—a staple of Hillerman’s canon.

Dark Winds, which bowed in 2022, has carved a niche as prestige TV’s thoughtful answer to gritty procedurals like True Detective, blending noir aesthetics with authentic Indigenous perspectives. Adapted from Hillerman’s 18-book series, it swaps the author’s outsider gaze for insider authenticity, consulting Navajo elders and historians at every turn. Critics rave: Season 3 scored a 97% on Rotten Tomatoes, with praise for its “unflinching look at colonialism’s scars” from The Hollywood Reporter. Viewership skews diverse—40% Native American households, per Nielsen—making it a cultural touchstone amid reckonings like the Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women crisis.

Yet, the show’s ascent isn’t without hurdles. Production delays from 2024 writers’ strikes pushed the renewal announcement to January 2025, and cast salary negotiations dragged into spring. McClarnon, now a producers’ credit holder, advocated for higher Indigenous representation, resulting in 85% Native-led creative roles this season. “Zahn’s vision is revolutionizing how we see ourselves on screen,” DeRoy-Olson noted during a Santa Fe Film Festival Q&A. Barnett, a non-Native actor in a pivotal antagonist-adjacent spot, faced initial fan scrutiny but defended his prep: “I shadowed feds in Albuquerque—it’s about respect, not appropriation.”

Social media’s abuzz as October trails bring fall TV previews. On X, #DarkWindsS4 trends with fan art of Billie evading school matrons and theories on Shaw’s ulterior motives—perhaps tied to a larger conspiracy echoing Watergate-era paranoia. Reddit’s r/DarkWindsTV subreddit exploded post-casting reveal, with threads dissecting how Billie’s arc spotlights the 1970s boarding school abuses, recently spotlighted in documentaries like Dawson’s Creek director’s Our Culture Is Medicine. One viral post quipped, “Shaw’s the fed we love to hate—next up, he dates Chee’s ex?” capturing the blend of suspense and soapy flair.

As Dark Winds eyes a potential fifth season—AMC’s multi-year deal hints at longevity—these castings underscore its evolution from sleeper hit to genre staple. In a landscape flooded with Marvel spectacles and reality dreck, the series stands out for its deliberate pace and cultural depth, proving mysteries thrive in the margins. With DeRoy-Olson and Barnett twisting the knife, Season 4 could be the most labyrinthine yet—secrets buried deeper than canyon bones, waiting to claw their way out.

For now, subscribers can revisit Seasons 1-3 on AMC+, where the desert’s vast silence amplifies every whispered betrayal. Leaphorn fans, brace yourselves: When Billie runs and Shaw schemes, the winds of change blow fierce. What’s your take—ally or adversary for these new faces? Sound off below as the countdown to 2026 ticks on.