Netflix fans are cancelling all their September plans to stay in to watch a thriller with a perfect Rotten Tomatoes score.
Western noir , based on the Leaphorn & Chee novels by Tony Hillerman, has achieved an extremely rare 100% on reviews aggregator Tomatometer for both its seasons.
Set in 1971, the show follows three Navajo Tribal Police officers, Joe Leaphorn (Zahn McClarnon), Bernadette Manuelito (Jessica Matten), and Jim Chee (Kiowa Gordon) as they investigate crimes in the American Southwest.
On Rotten Tomatoes, fans and critics alike have been raving about the drama with Chris C enthusing: ‘I loved it. I thought the writing and acting were top-notch. There’s a small amount of paranormal mysticism. I was a fan of the X Files back in the day, so it worked for me.’
Echoing their sentiment, Lynn F gave it five out of five stars and wrote: ‘Perfect cast, great character development, suspenseful storyline, a little insight on life on a Navajo Reservation. Really entertaining.’
Elizabeth M also penned: ‘Fantastic TV series. Almost as good as “Longmire,” which is the best American TV of this century. Some of the same great actors, similar themes. Authentic, well-written, well-acted. Hope there will be more of it.’
Critics have also recommended Dark Winds, with Daniel Fienberg in The Hollywood Reporter, ranking the psychological thriller number six in his top 10 TV shows of 2023.
He wrote: ‘McClarnon’s screen presence is limitless. He’s funny when required, tormented as needed and, in a show driven by its main character’s inquisitiveness, a marvel when it comes to being still yet intellectually curious.’
Alan Sepinwall said in Rolling Stone: ‘It’s good to know that things haven’t changed much for this impeccably crafted, often thrilling, deeply satisfying crime drama.’
Ben Dowell in The Times wrote: ‘Based on a series of mystery novels by Tony Hillerman, the drama is essentially a proud and unashamed reclamation of film (and TV) history.’
Dark Winds is not the only Netflix offering to have scored a perfect 100% on Rotten Tomatoes, with feature documentary Daughters also achieving the same feat.
The film follows daughters reuniting with their jailed dads for a one-off dance at a Washington DC prison.
The Date With Dad programme is designed to strengthen family ties and prevent reoffending with 95% of the fathers participating never returning to jail in the 12 years since it launched.
Viewers were left sobbing over the ’emotionally raw’ and ‘powerful’ doc, with @ProducerStewart warning on X: ‘Trigger warning! #daughters on #netflix will have you in tears! It’s a documentary that follows inmates in their families as they prepare for a father-daughter dance in a DC jail.’
Netflix viewers are also devouring murder mystery A Good Girl’s Guide To Murder.
The six-parter follows Pippa Fitz-Amobi (Emma Myers) as she investigates the murder-suicide of fellow schoolgirl Andie Bell (India Lillie Davies) five years after her death.
On Reddit, account Chicken F raved: ‘This lived up to, if not, surpassed my expectations. It hasn’t even been out for a week and I’ve already watched the series through six times. I highly recommend this series, it is the perfect Mystery/Thriller to watch if you’ve got a spare weekend.’
Other highly-rated Netflix shows on Rotten Tomatoes are Supacell, Savage Beauty and The Mole – which all received a perfect 100% on the site’s review aggregator.
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