Dark Winds Season 4 Honors Robert Redford Onscreen and Off as It Returns Feb. 15 (ET)
When Dark Winds returns for Season 4 on Feb. 15, the new eight-episode chapter opens under a formal dedication to Robert Redford — a figure whose influence on the show extends far beyond a single cameo. Cast and creatives say Season 4 weaves the late actor and filmmaker’s spirit into both story beats and production memories, creating a steady tribute across the series.
Onscreen nods: period detail and a marquee homage
The new season places the Navajo Tribal Police protagonists — Joe Leaphorn (Zahn McClarnon), Jim Chee (Kiowa Gordon) and Bernadette Manuelito (Jessica Matten) — in a storyline that takes them to 1972 Los Angeles. Production design includes a movie-theater marquee that advertises Redford’s Western Jeremiah Johnson, a quiet but pointed reference that complements a season formally dedicated to him.
Redford’s onscreen presence was already part of the series’ recent history. At age 88 he made a final screen appearance in the third-season premiere in 2025, playing a brief but memorable cell-block chess scene opposite a fellow executive producer. McClarnon recalls being added to that scene at the last minute and says, “The smile on my face all day, it was incredible. ” That cameo marked the most hands-on Redford involvement on set, yet the cast and crew describe his influence as far more pervasive.
Behind the scenes: the showrunner and cast reflect on Redford’s imprint
Showrunner John Wirth credits Redford’s legacy — his environmental advocacy, politics and longtime support for Indigenous storytelling — with shaping the show’s heartbeat. Wirth says Redford was not a daily presence in writers’ rooms or editing bays, but that “his spirit imbues the entirety of our efforts. ” He describes the elusive “Redfordness” of the series as something difficult to quantify but undeniably present in its tone and choices.
Wirth also shares personal recollections that underline how deeply Redford’s work resonated with the creative team. He traces his own career ambitions back to seeing Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid as a teenager and calls Three Days of the Condor a masterclass he has mined throughout his career. Wirth remembers Redford reciting a favorite scene from that film during a conversation, and even replacing an original, signed poster Wirth lost in a fire with another signed copy — a gesture Wirth still keeps on his wall.
For the actors, the connection to Redford runs both inspirational and practical. McClarnon, who grew up watching Redford’s films, directed Season 4’s second episode, marking his directorial debut on the series. He says those early film experiences informed his approach to storytelling both in front of and behind the camera. Gordon likewise drew on multiple Redford performances when shaping his portrayal of Jim Chee, particularly in the character’s undercover FBI elements.
A lasting legacy threaded through story and production
Producers and performers view the dedication and small onscreen gestures as part of a larger continuity: a series that foregrounds Indigenous voices and landscapes while acknowledging the allies and champions who helped elevate those stories. Redford’s longtime advocacy for Indigenous artists and environmental causes, Wirth says, sits at the core of why the show exists in its current form.
As Season 4 arrives, viewers can expect both explicit callbacks — like the 1972 marquee — and subtler echoes of Redford’s tastes, from filmic homages to narrative priorities that emphasize place, community and moral complexity. For a production that counts his sensibilities among its inspirations, the new season functions as both another chapter in the Leaphorn & Chee saga and a public, ongoing tribute to a cultural figure whose influence shaped the series’ creative compass.
