Yellow stone may be the most popular neo-Western of the 2020s, but AMC’s Dark Winds is ultimately a superior television show. Taylor Sheridan’s seminal series about the Dutton family’s violent struggle to hold on to their ranch is rightly celebrated as a major factor in the Western genre’s resurgence in popularity. However, this does not automatically make it a great piece of television.
Meanwhile, the crime thriller Dark Winds deserves to be ranked higher Yellow stone among the best Western TV shows of the 21st century. This noir-tinged period drama about Navajo tribal police working on reservation lands in the American southwest in the 1970s is both more realistic and more stylish than its better-known counterpart.
Although there is no doubt that both Yellow stone And Dark Winds should be counted among the best neo-western shows available for streaming, this latest series is one of many such westerns that are frequently overlooked due to Yellow stoneimmense popularity.
Dark Winds is the best neo-Western show of the 2020s
When Dark Winds Season 3 debuted on review aggregator Rotten Tomatoes with a perfect score of 100%, it achieved something no other Western show has ever managed. The series continued its streak of entirely positive reviews for a third consecutive season, cementing its status as the best neo-Western TV series of the 2020s to date.
It could be argued that, as a historical drama set half a century ago, Dark Winds is not technically neo-western. However, the exhibition examines specifically neo-Western themes, namely the functioning of Native American tribes in the modern United States, where they coexist within and alongside the social order imposed on them from the outside.
The show explores this theme from the perspective of three law enforcement officers, Joe Leaphorn, Jim Chee and Bernadette Manuelito, who police Navajo tribal lands in the Four Corners region of the United States. The plot of each season primarily concerns a murder investigation, which is depicted with the disturbing undertones and oblique aesthetic of a neo-noir thriller.
How Dark Winds is even better than Yellowstone
Dark Winds is one of several recent Western shows that are better than Yellow stoneand the most notable example among shows released in the 2020s. Based on the novel by novelist Tony Hillerman Leaphorn and Chee stories, its characters are carefully crafted and nuanced representations of Native American culture.
|
Season |
Yellow stone Rotten Tomatoes Score |
Dark Winds Rotten Tomatoes Score |
|---|---|---|
|
1 |
58% |
100% |
|
2 |
89% |
100% |
|
3 |
100% |
100% |
|
4 |
91% |
– |
|
5 |
79% |
– |
While Yellow stone is truly a family drama dressed in stetson hats and cowboy boots, Dark Winds is a western show at its core, one that brilliantly subverts the classic lawman tropes of the genre. At the same time, the series does not hide that it also belongs to the detective drama.
However, the criminal elements Dark Winds are entirely thought out and anchored in realism. In Yellowstone, meanwhile, violent crimes are often committed solely to illustrate the brutal nature of the Wild West or to fuel narratives of internecine personal conflicts.
Why Yellowstone is more popular than Dark Winds
As great as Dark Winds is, it’s nowhere near as popular as Taylor Sheridan’s more famous neo-Western series. Yellow stoneThe series finale broke streaming records for the genre by attracting more than 11 million viewers.
The series’ lead star, Kevin Costner, a Western cinema legend, was the initial attraction for much of the audience. Zahn McClarnon could be brilliant as protagonist Joe Leaphorn in Dark Windsbut he just doesn’t have the status that Costner commands. Once your eyes are on Yellow stonemany viewers have become addicted to the Dutton family’s family soap opera.
Dark Winds There is no Hollywood megastar or family melodrama to attract people in the same way. Yellow stone also moved to Netflix at just the right time to gain even more fans, and was credited with reviving the TV western years before. Dark Winds appeared on AMC. Nonetheless, for any fan of the genre, this underrated gem is a must-see.
