LOS ANGELES (AP) — Robert Redford and George R.R. Martin are the big names behind "Dark Winds," but they're not the most important.

That distinction belongs to the Native American creators and actors who ensured the AMC mystery series rings true to the Native experience and enduring culture, which largely has been snubbed or recklessly caricatured by Hollywood.

This time the storytelling is "an inside job," said director Chris Eyre, resulting in what he describes as a "Native American, Southwestern film noir."

Based on Tony Hillerman's admired novels featuring Joe Leaphorn and Jim Chee of the...