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One of the best AMC TV shows, certainly in the past several years, is “Dark Winds,” which premiered in 2022. A pulp neo-Western thriller, the show is based on the “Leaphorn & Chee” novels by Tony Hillerman, with each season adapting a different book. While set in the 1970s on and around an Indigenous reservation in the American Southwest, the show doesn’t feel like a period piece, instead focused on delivering intensely crafted mysteries. The impressive ensemble cast is led by Zahn McClarnon, who also executive produces the series, as the driven tribal police officer Joe Leaphorn.
While we wait for the next season of “Dark Winds,” there are plenty of other shows that provide their own crime thriller action. More than just procedurals, the shows that we’re mentioning here also veer into neo-Western and neo-noir thematic territory. Several of these series also delve into the social issues facing Indigenous communities and prominently feature Indigenous characters. These are 10 TV shows to watch if you like “Dark Winds” and are looking for something similar.
Justified
Arguably the show that powered the neo-Western genre’s resurgence on television, “Justified” is a creative tour-de-force. Based on author Elmore Leonard’s crime stories about protagonist Raylan Givens, Timothy Olyphant makes the role his own in the series. The show opens with Raylan, a quick-draw U.S. Marshal, reassigned to his hometown in Kentucky, a region that he has plenty of unresolved angst towards. Leading with his proactive sense of justice, Raylan goes head-to-head with several criminal organizations in the area, often putting his gunslinging skills to the test.
“Justified” is easily one of the best neo-Western TV shows of all time, so let’s get it out of the way first. The show is sharply written from top-to-bottom and driven by its character dynamics, especially between Raylan and resident ne’er-do-well Boyd Crowder (Walton Goggins). More for the purposes of this list’s comparative premise, the show depicts small-town crime in an engaging way while highlighting the toll that it takes on Raylan’s personal life. Among the best shows ever produced for FX, “Justified” remains thoroughly enjoyable over a decade after its conclusion.
Longmire
Another show based on a pulp neo-Western novel series, “Longmire” adapts the “Walt Longmire Mysteries” by Craig Johnson. The series’ title character is a small-town sheriff in Wyoming, played by Robert Taylor, grieving the death of his wife. Because of his jurisdiction’s proximity to a reservation, Walt frequently consults with his best friend Henry Standing Bear (Lou Diamond Phillips) when working with tribal police. Joining the ensemble is Walt’s daughter Cady (Cassidy Freeman), solving crimes in and around the Cheyenne reservation while trying to move on with their lives.
Both Walt Longmire and Joe Leaphorn are protagonists with law enforcement careers who are introduced in the aftermath of suffering a familial tragedy. But while there is plenty of moral ambiguity and lethal stakes, “Longmire” is a consistently less intense show than “Dark Winds.” Some of the best Western TV episodes of all time come from the series, bringing surprising twists as it advances its character arcs. Unassuming in its presentation but still offering steady thrills and likable characters, “Longmire” is a mature, well-measured take on the neo-Western genre.
True Detective
While every season of “True Detective” touches on strong neo-noir aesthetics and narrative themes, the HBO series’ fourth season aligns the closest to “Dark Winds.” Given the subtitle “Night Country,” the season is the first in the series helmed by showrunner and director Issa López. The season takes the action to Alaska with the grisly murders of a research station’s personnel investigated by police chief Liz Danvers (Jodie Foster) and trooper Evangeline Navarro (Kali Reis). Like “Dark Winds,” “Night Country” touches lightly on the supernatural, particularly through visions experienced by its Indigenous characters.
Beyond “Night Country,” “True Detective” still evokes the crime thriller bonafides that Joe Leaphorn is used to in his own series. Every season of the show revolves around a disturbing murder mystery and are led by obsessive detectives trying to track down the culprit. “Night Country” just captures those similarities better and, with Issa López returning for “True Detective” Season 5, hopefully those qualities will be heightened. One of the best detective TV shows ever made, “True Detective” consistently feels like event television whenever a new season debuts.
The Red Road
In that period between him playing Khal Drogo and Aquaman, Jason Momoa starred in the crime drama “The Red Road.” The show is set in the secluded Ramapo Mountains on the border between New York and New Jersey, with the Indigenous Ramapough Lenape Nation playing a major role. Momoa plays Phillip Kopus, a man with links to criminal activity in his community and back in his hometown after serving time in prison. Kopus’ return coincides with the arrival of police detective Harold Jensen (Martin Henderson) who is in town investigating a missing persons case.
Like “Dark Winds” and “Longmire,” “The Red Road” delves deeply into the tension between Indigenous and White communities in a remote locale. What the 2014 SundanceTV series does particularly well is explore these themes with considerably flawed characters, something apparent from the first episode. There are loads of unresolved trauma and shifting alliances that keep the story from becoming predictable, often ending an episode on a shocking twist. “The Red Road” is a complex and complicated story about damaged people, deserving better than the unresolved cliffhanger it ended on.
The Sinner
Among the delightfully darkest shows to air on USA Network is “The Sinner,” which ran for four seasons from 2017 to 2021. The series stars Bill Pullman as Harry Ambrose, a detective who investigates murder mysteries around New York and New England. Given the show’s light anthology format, each season focuses on a different case and features a rotating supporting cast around Pullman. There are clear police procedural elements but, by pacing a case out over the course of an entire season, the story and its characters have a chance to breathe.
What “The Sinner” does so well is that it presents audiences with cases that aren’t as cut-and-dried as they appear on the surface. Each investigation is packed with twists and turns but, most importantly, don’t feel forced for sensationalism’s sake, instead providing a satisfying conclusion. Grounding the whole thing is a magnificently world-weary performance from Pullman, whose detective character has seen it all and is both better and worse for it. Well worth watching on Netflix as its current streaming home, “The Sinner” is a bending crime thriller.
The Outsider
Stephen King provided his own “True Detective” type story with his 2018 novel “The Outsider,” which was adapted by HBO into a limited series in 2020. The series has a town in Georgia rocked by the murder of a local boy, with Little League baseball coach Terry Maitland (Jason Bateman) implicated in the killing. Cynical police detective Ralph Anderson (Ben Mendelsohn) takes point on the investigation, joined by eccentric private detective Holly Gibney (Cynthia Erivo). As early as the first episode, it’s clear that this is no normal murder mystery as more disturbing developments quickly arise.
“The Outsider” is a Stephen King series that should have never been canceled or at least become more than just a miniseries. Everyone in the cast is firing on all cylinders, with Erivo and Mendelsohn among the major standouts consistently turning in great performances. But more than just a crime thriller, this is a show that veers into outright horror territory, keeping viewers at the edge of their seats. Absolutely riveting, “The Outsider” goes darker and more suspenseful with its small-town crime story making it perfect for a weekend binge.
Big Sky
The sweeping vistas of Montana serve as the backdrop for the 2020 series “Big Sky,” which aired for three seasons. The show centers on the partnership between private detectives Jenny Hoyt (Katheryn Winnick) and Cassie Dewell (Kylie Bunbury) as they take on cases around the Big Sky State. This dynamic is complicated by the fact that Cassie happens to be dating Jenny’s ex-husband Cody (Ryan Phillippe), whom both still work with. These complications are quickly discarded when Cassie and Jenny become involved in a kidnapping case that escalates to Cody himself being murdered in the process.
“Big Sky” is right in series creator David E. Kelley’s wheelhouse, full of snappy dialogue and messy interpersonal character dynamics. But right from the opening episode, the show also signals to audiences that this is going to be a more lurid crime drama and one packed by twists and turns. This is all brought to life by a strong ensemble cast led by Winnick and Bunbury and elevated by its gorgeous setting. There are plenty of things we wish would’ve seen in a potential “Big Sky” Season 4 before its cancellation but the three seasons we got were well-crafted enough.
Joe Pickett
Arguably the coziest show on this list, “Joe Pickett” offers its own twist on the neo-Western genre but with far less intensity and moral ambiguity regarding its main characters. The title character, played by Michael Dorman, is a game warden who relocates with his family to a small town in Wyoming near Yellowstone National Park. Despite his seemingly innocuous job, Joe quickly becomes involved in a mystery that escalates into murder and is tied to immoral figures in his community. While the subsequent crime and drama feel like they come from a real place, the show maintains a sense of humor about itself that keeps things from becoming grim.
Like “Dark Winds,” “Joe Pickett” revolves around small-town intrigue and the rich and powerful trying to get away with nefarious schemes at the expense of the little guy. What sets it apart is that its titular protagonist is a far less tortured character than his genre counterparts like Joe Leaphorn. Pickett is, first and foremost, a family man who happens to find himself in the midst of a case that initially appears to be above his paygrade. Those qualities help distinguish “Joe Pickett” as an underrated two-season gem that offers a refreshing approach to a usually self-serious genre.
Under the Banner of Heaven
Delivering its own deliberately paced moody mystery, “Under the Banner of Heaven” is a Hulu original that’s a must-watch for “True Detective” and “Dark Winds” fans. Based on the 2003 nonfiction book by Jon Krakauer, the limited series stars Andrew Garfield as Utah police detective Jeb Pyre investigating a murder. Set in 1984, the killing of a young mother and her infant daughter implicates a conspiracy within the local church. The deeper Pyre’s investigation goes, uncovering the church’s sordid history, the more his own devout faith is shaken to its core.
“Under the Banner of Heaven” provides its ensemble cast with a nuanced murder mystery to dig into and they don’t disappoint. Garfield has rarely been better, matched by Wyatt Russell as one of the prime suspects in the case. A religiously tinged crime thriller that highlights the dangers of zealous conviction, “Under the Banner of Heaven” deserves wider recognition as one of the best Hulu shows of all time.
Marshals
Of all of Taylor Sheridan’s TV shows, the one that aligns with “Dark Winds” the closest is the 2026 “Yellowstone” spin-off “Marshals.” Centering its focus on Kayce Dutton (Luke Grimes), the series opens with its protagonist reeling from the recent loss of his wife. While contending with his grief and life as a single father, Kayce joins a special unit of the U.S. Marshals that take on major crimes around Montana. Several familiar faces from “Yellowstone” resurface, especially Thomas Rainwater (Gil Birmingham) and Mo (Mo Brings Plenty), major figures at Broken Rock Reservation.
While leaning more into crime procedural territory, “Marshals” maintains the neo-Western tones and storytelling sensibilities that “Yellowstone” was known for. While not as graphic or intense as its preceding series, given that it’s produced for network television, the show still brings plenty of explosive action on a regular basis. The heightened emphasis on the “Yellowstone” universe’s Indigenous characters and the issues that they face is a welcome direction for the spin-off to follow too. “Marshals” is a prestige procedural with a dash of Dutton but with even more of the neo-Western spectacle that “Yellowstone” fans have quickly grown to love.
