Backroads USA

The United States of America is famous for its huge and endless highways, symbols of the American Dream. In this series, these routes are the stars. But we will leave the main interstates behind and stick to those winding country routes each with their own character, and which seem to have a soul. These are routes laid out by people in pursuit of something: a better life, a vision, a dream.

Each 45-minute episode deals with a route that cuts through a vast stretch of the New World, sometimes linking several states, and running through small towns that have largely been left by the wayside. Each journey of discovery gives us a glimpse of the lost dreams of an America from another century, before the arrival of the restaurant franchise and motel chain.

In each location, we encounter the folk who live along these country roads – locals with strong bonds to their town, and who are a part of its history. These are the descendants of the pioneers who keep the American Dream alive. An extraordinary road trip across the unseen face of the United States, guided by Oscar-nominated filmmaker Katja Esson.