Dark Winds, AMC’s psychological thriller series based on Tony Hillerman’s Leaphorn & Chee novel series, has expanded its fifth season’s cast with Devin Sampson-Craig and Shameless fame Noel Fischer. Both the stars will join the series main cast, namely Zahn McClarnon (Joe Leaphorn), Kiowa Gordon (Jim Chee) and Jessica Matten (Bernadette Manuelito), in the upcoming season, scheduled to arrive on AMC in 2027.
Dark Winds is currently airing its fourth season on AMC, based on Hillerman’s The Ghostway, which takes Leaphorn, Chee and Bernadette from the familiar terrains of their Navajo Nation to the uncharted territory of 1970s LA. The trio goes on a desperate race against time to search for a missing Navajo girl, who is pursued by a relentless killer linked to organized crime.
More on the upcoming season in our story.
What roles will Devin Sampson-Craig and Noel Fisher play in Dark Winds Season 5?
While AMC and the creators are yet to unveil the plot and additional details for Dark Winds Season 5, it looks like Leaphorn and Chee will continue to find themselves among harrowing cases. Noel Fischer, best known for playing Mickey Milkovich in Showtime’s comedy-drama series Shameless, has joined the upcoming season’s cast in the recurring role of Michael Jorie, a dangerous killer.
According to Deadline, Noel Fischer’s character’s description reads as follows:
”Michael Jorie is a dangerous killer with a warped sense of righteousness and piety to his beliefs that fuel his involvement in a southwestern gang with a long history of violence.”
In addition to Showtime’s 2011 comedy series, Fischer is known for his roles as Ellison “Cotton Top” Mounts in History Channel’s Hatfields & McCoys, 1,500-year-old vampire Vladimir in The Twilight Saga: Breaking Dawn – Part 2, and Michelangelo in Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles & its sequel Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Out of the Shadows.
Devin Sampson-Craig will take on the role of Daniel Ironwater Jr. in Dark Winds Season 5. His character description reads as follows:
”Daniel Ironwater Jr. is a ranch-hand whose time in Vietnam has left him conflicted and heading down the wrong path.”
The actor is best known for playing Terrance in Ryan H. Craig and Javier Morin Jr.-created fantasy-mystery short film Guardian Ancestor and Bryson Badonie in Sydney Freeland’s sports drama film Rez Ball on Netflix.
More details on Dark Winds Season 5
Season 5 of the psychological thriller series, set to premiere in 2027, was greenlit in February 2026, even before the fourth season premiere. While plot details are scarce, the upcoming season has already expanded on its cast with actors Martin Sensmeier and Paola Núñez, who will join the recently cast Sampson-Craig and Fischer in Dark Winds Season 5.
Martin Sensmeier, best known for playing Native American roles in Taylor Sheridan’s Western Yellowstone and HBO’s dystopian sci-fi thriller Westworld, will play Terry Bai, ‘‘a former Vietnam vet turned racetrack worker with ties to Chee from middle school.”
Mexican actress Paola Núñez, best known for her roles in Netflix’s gothic horror series The Fall of the House of Usher, CBS’ firefighter procedural Fire Country, and her starring role in the horror-action anthology film The Purge, will play Luisa Alvarado, ”a lead investigator for the U.S. Attorney’s office and someone from Leaphorn’s past”.
AMC has yet to reveal which Leaphorn & Chee novel will be adapted in Dark Winds Season 5, but the character descriptions suggest that the upcoming season will feature a harrowing murder mystery while exploring the central characters’ past.
The Dark Winds Season 4 finale will air on AMC on April 5.
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Edited by Aashna