Prime Video adds three seasons of Route 66

Prime Video streams seasons 1, 2, and 4 of the adventure series Route 66 at no additional cost for subscribers, while season 3 remains pay-per-view. The platform addition brings back a 1960s production that mixed road trips with social commentary on post-war America.

Prime Video offers the first, second, and fourth seasons of the classic series to its subscribers without extra fees. However, viewers must purchase the third season separately. The show originally debuted on CBS in October 1960. While other 1960s adventure series focused on exotic settings, escapism, and pure entertainment, Route 66 offered a more social than spectacular adventure that could also address America, war, and identity.

Creators Bring Social Drama to the Road

Creators Herbert B. Leonard and Stirling Silliphant previously worked on the police drama Naked City, which broadcast on ABC starting in September 1958. They carried that gritty tone into Route 66, using real shooting locations and focusing on social issues rather than conventional action. While productions like Sea Hunt or Adventures in Paradise stayed closer to classic adventure, Route 66 combined road trips, criminal drama, and a quasi-anthological format. An integrated pilot episode titled Four Sweet Corners aired in 1959 featuring George Maharis and Robert Morris before the production team finalized the permanent cast.

Two Young Travelers Map Post-War America

Martin Milner starred as Tod Stiles alongside George Maharis as Buz Murdock during the first three seasons. The characters drove across the United States to encounter different social tensions and human struggles. After health issues forced Maharis to leave the production, Glenn Corbett joined Milner as a co-star for the fourth and final season.

Future Film Stars Pass Through the Series

The series featured guest appearances by numerous actors who later achieved major film careers. William Shatner, DeForest Kelley, Tina Louise, Robert Redford, Martin Sheen, and James Caan all appeared in various episodes. A season 3 storyline involving a Vietnam veteran named Lincoln Linc Case, played by Glenn Corbett, inspired David Morrell to write the novel First Blood, which was later adapted into the Rambo film franchise.