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Though the dads of the world might disagree, Taylor Sheridan isn’t the sole party keeping the Western alive and well in 2025. Beyond the “Yellowstone” architect’s ever-growing empire of horse operas, there are plenty of other entries in the genre that have something meaningful to say. Some of these offerings continue the revisionist trend of unearthing the dark truths of U.S. history (as is the case with Netflix’s brutal Western TV drama “American Primeval”<\/a>), while others take the form of neo-Westerns exploring the eternal struggle between justice and power in a more modern context. But what about one that examines this conflict from a less traditional (a polite way of saying “John-Wayne-type-riding-in-to-save-the-day”) perspective?<\/p>\n Enter “Dark Winds,” AMC’s acclaimed small screen adaptation of the late Tony Hillerman’s best-selling “Leaphorn & Chee” novels. The show boasts quite the notable caliber of behind the scenes talent, most pointedly executive producers George R.R. Martin and Robert Redford (who even shared an amusing scene on the series prior to Redford’s passing this year<\/a>). But it’s the duo’s fellow EP and the show’s star, Zahn McClarnon, who really deserves to be given his flowers for the thriller\/drama’s sterling reputation. That’s doubly true if you mainly know the actor for his turn as easygoing Officer Big on Sterlin Harjo’s wonderful dramedy series “Reservation Dogs.”<\/a><\/p>\n A far cry from Big (who wouldn’t feel out of place in a stoner comedy, as evidenced by his involvement in some of the zanier episodes of Harjo’s show), McClarnon’s tribal police officer Joe Leaphorn carries himself with the weight of a middle-aged man who’s spent his whole life trying to do right by his marginalized community. He’s also suffered his share of personal heartbreak along the way, as those who’ve caught up on the series’ earlier seasons on Netflix could tell you.<\/p>\n