AMC's series Dark Winds is based on the Leaphorn and Chee book series by Tony Hillerman, though the TV series has pretty notable differences from the original books.

So far, Dark Winds season 3 has seen its main characters, Joe Leaphorn, Jim Chee, and Bernadette Manuelito separated, with Bernadette having taken a new job, though episode 3, hints that the trio might finally be reunited again soon. As with the previous two seasons, Dark Winds season 3 has a gripping crime story that unfolds gradually with each new episode. With half of this season's episodes left to air, Dark Winds season 3 is heating up, but there are plenty of other crime shows for audiences to enjoy in the meantime.

8 Lawmen: Bass Reeves (2023)

The Miniseries Can Be Found On Paramount+

The 2023 miniseries, Lawmen: Bass Reeves, is one of the best recent additions to the Western TV genre. The series stars David Oyelowo as the titular character along with a talented ing cast. Bass Reeves was a real-life law enforcement official in the American West, making him the first Black man to hold the title of Deputy US Marshal West of the Mississippi River. The impressive lawman captured over 3,000 wanted criminals and spoke several Native American languages, making it easy for him to communicate across the West.

The Taylor Sheridan-produced Western was met with great reviews upon its release, which often highlighted the impressive performances and great direction that brought the historical figure to life. The series includes the great fight and shoot-out scenes that Westerns are so often known for, while also allowing audiences to see the characters as fully formed people with their own drama and struggles in a similar manner to Dark Winds, making it a great follow-up show.

7 Fargo

The Well-Known Crime Anthology Series Is Available On Hulu

Fargo is one of the best crime shows of recent years, making it a must-watch for any fans of the genre. The series makes use of an anthology format, so each season follows its own characters and crime. As a result, the plot of each season of Fargo feels very fresh while it maintains the same darkly hilarious tone. Likewise, the format means that a great new cast full of A-list stars has been introduced with each new season, including award-winning performers like Billy Bob Thornton, Ewan McGregor, Kirsten Dunst, Jon Hamm, and more.

Each season follows a similar format to the 1996 Coen brothers movie, where the lives of various characters overlap in surprising ways, often leading to strange and violent occurrences. Overall, the series received outstanding reviews during each of its five seasons, and it has won numerous awards. If Fargo's reputation is not enough, fans of Dark Winds will enjoy knowing that Zahn McClarnon, who stars as Joe Leaphorn in Dark Winds, appears as a recurring character in Fargo season 2.

6 Joe Pickett

The Modern Western Is Available On Paramount+

Like Dark Winds, Joe Pickett is a Western crime series that benefits from great performances and a beautiful setting that is almost a character in itself. The series is set in Wyoming near Yellowstone National Park and follows a game warden who unwittingly becomes entangled in a series of crimes. Joe Pickett shows the titular character experiencing the extremes of working in a physically demanding role while enemies looking to take the land for themselves are all around.

The series balances these more violent, action-packed sequences with Joe Pickett attempting to be a good husband and father. Joe Pickett's main characters are complex and certainly do not make all the right decisions, but that is what makes them all the more compelling. Sadly, despite holding a 100% critical approval rating on Rotten Tomatoes, the series was canceled after the second season, but there are plenty of other Joe Pickett stories to enjoy as the book series includes 25 novels by author C.J. Box.

5 True Detective

The Crime Show Can Be Found On Max

HBO's dark crime series True Detective is a great watch for audiences of Dark Winds who love the serious crime-solving aspects of the show. True Detective is beautifully shot and well acted. While the main driving force of each season is the crime that is being investigated, the relationships between the characters and their own understandings of themselves are crucial to True Detective's success. The series does not shy away from the darkness inside people, both in of the criminals and the investigators.

True Detective has earned numerous awards across each of its seasons, including six Emmy Awards, one Golden Globe Award, one Critics' Choice Award, and more among over 30 nominations. Because True Detective is an anthology series, each season has featured different cast who have been singled out for awards, such as Matthew McConaughey in season 1 or Jodie Foster in season 4. While season 1 is widely regarded as the best True Detective season, the other three are worth watching too.

4 Justified

The Series Is Currently Streaming On Hulu

Timothy Olyphant leads the series Justified as Raylan Givens, a Deputy U.S. Marshal who is forced to return to his hometown in Kentucky after he shoots a hitman in Miami. Like Chee in Dark Winds, Givens' past and his connection to his family and Harlan County, Kentucky are somewhat murky as the series begins. However, his somewhat dark worldview has allowed him to become great at his job, though in his own unconventional way. Each season primarily revolves around specific crimes or crime families that Raylan investigates.

Criminal investigations are often more personal for the investigators than they first appear in fiction, and both series explore that perfectly.

Justified is a crime series of the first order, but it also serves as a very interesting take on a neo-Western, thanks to Givens' cowboy-like style. As a result, the series earned outstanding Rotten Tomatoes scores across all six of its seasons, with the lowest season rating being an impressive 93%. As Dark Winds has proven throughout its three seasons so far, there is more to solving crimes and getting justice than simply playing by the rules. Criminal investigations are often more personal for the investigators than they first appear in fiction, and both series explore that perfectly.

3 Outer Range

The Prime Video Series Blends Western And Sci-Fi

While Dark Winds does lean heavily into ideas of religion and spirituality in each of its seasons, Outer Range takes that one step further, creating a Western thriller that is also a science fiction series. The series takes place in Wyoming and centers on a rancher named Royal Abbott and his family. Outer Range deals with the more typical problems of land disputes and family drama, yet it adds a mysterious black hole at the edge of the Abbott's property that begins to play a significant role in all of their lives shortly after its discovery.

Outer Range certainly benefits from great performances, particularly those of Josh Brolin and Imogen Poots, and the series' thrilling reveals and twists are very satisfying to finally get answered as the series unfolds. Despite its cancelation after just two seasons, Outer Range received mostly positive reviews and stands as a great example of blending genres to create a compelling series. Just as Dark Winds prompts audiences to theorize about what might come next for its characters, Outer Range will certainly keep first-time viewers on their toes.

2 The Red Road

The AMC+ Show Stars Familiar Faces

The Red Road is a very intense drama series that follows the interconnected lives of Harold Jensen, a white police officer from New York City, and Phillip Kopus, a member of the Ramapough Lenape Nation who begins running a drug operation. The series also explores a fictionalized version of the controversy surrounding the Ringwood Mines landfill which allowed hazardous waste to be put on Ramapough Lenape Nation land. The Red Road is full of gritty, gripping moments that display the actions that people are willing to resort to under dire circumstances.

The Red Road never became massively popular at the time of its release, but it is worth checking out for fans of Dark Winds' lead performances. Both Zahn McClarnon and Kiowa Gordon appear in The Red Road. Kiowa Gordon stars in the main role of Junior, a Lenape teenager who is related to Kopus and dating Jensen's daughter, and Zahn McClarnon appears in the recurring role of Mike Parker. Their performances as well as those of other main cast brought praise to the show's two seasons.

1 Longmire

The Popular Western Crime Series Is On Paramount+

Longmire feels like the quintessential Western police show, so it pairs very well with Dark Winds. The series feels both modern and inspired by great classic Western shows. Longmire centers on the character Walt Longmire, the hardened sheriff of a small Wyoming town who often works with officials from the nearby Native American reservation, particularly his friend Henry Standing Bear. Very similar to Dark Winds, the series explores the overlap between state police, federal, and tribal police jurisdictions and how those often come in conflict with each other.

In addition to the police work that Walt undertakes, the series also explores his feelings, particularly surrounding the death of his wife, and the complicated feelings and experiences of the other characters. Longmire received positive responses from critics and audiences alike across its six seasons. Beyond its great reviews, Longmire is also boosted by another great performance by Zahn McClarnon, who appears as Police Chief Mathias throughout the series, giving it yet another similarity to Dark Winds.