In a land where the prevailing narrative seems to be one of a nation divided, David McCourt interviewed a thousand everyday Americans and observed a common thread.
"Most folks love America and don't believe we're as divided as you would be led to believe," said McCourt, Emmy-winning producer of the upcoming PBS documentary series "Amerigo."
"They didn't feel divided at all," McCourt added. "They felt like they love this country."
'AMERIGO' DISCUSSION & BROADCAST
As the United States approaches its 250th anniversary, the upcoming documentary "Amerigo" asks everyday Americans "What does the American Dream look like today?"
● NEPA community conversation:
— WHO: Narrator and Producer David McCourt, Carbondale Mayor Michele Bannon and Pulitzer Prize-winning poet Paul Muldoon will talk about "Amerigo" and the American Dream.
— WHEN: 7 p.m. Tuesday, March 31, 2026; doors open at 6:30.
— WHERE: Geisinger Commonwealth School of Medicine Medical Sciences Building, Scranton.
— TICKETS: Free while supplies last. Guests must register here.
● Documentary broadcast:
"Amerigo" will be shown on PBS Stations in Summer 2026.
● Add your voice:
The producers also want to hear from Americans across the country, who are invited to share their thoughts here.
"Amerigo" takes its name from Amerigo Vespucci, the Italian explorer for whom America itself is named.
"But America is more than a name," McCourt says in the opening narration. "It's both a place — a vast place, from sea to shining see — but it's also an idea. A notion that through hard work, anyone of any background might achieve a better life."
McCourt and his team crossed the country for more than two years, visiting all 50 states to ask one basic question: "What does the American Dream look like today?"
"What happens when hard work simply isn't enough anymore," McCourt's narration asks.
McCourt, who is producing the documentary in partnership with South Florida PBS, Austin PBS, WVIA, and American Public Television (APT), will speak about the project at 7 p.m. Tuesday, March 31, at the Geisinger Commonwealth School of Medicine in Scranton. Tickets are free and can be obtained here while supplies last.
McCourt will be joined by Carbondale Mayor Michele Bannon, who is featured in the documentary and will speak about rebuilding community in small-town America, and by Pulitzer Prize-winning poet Paul Muldoon, who will explore how art shapes culture and policy.
"I think it's all about unity," Bannon said.
"We need to rely on ourselves. We need to rely on each other. We need to pull in partners that help us build the community that we want us to be, and then just surrounding yourself with great people who have the same passion and the same love for our community," she said.
"I have fundamental rules around here every day, united, thriving, joyful and safe," Bannon said. "You know, those are the four legs that we stand on."
'My grandfather was a janitor'
The documentary is timed to coincide with America 250, this year's commemorations marking the Semiquincentennial of U.S. independence from British colonial rule.
It's also deeply personal.
McCourt said "Amerigo" evolved from deep thoughts about his own family's story: His grandfather was a janitor who emigrated from Galway, Ireland, at the age of 16.
"You know that means he's washing floors and cleaning toilets for a living. So he's clearly a service worker. He owned his own home. He had his own backyard. He grew his own vegetables. He raised my mother, and then in turn, my mother raised me. He died debt-free," McCourt said.
"I never thought of any of us as being rich, but we were middle class," said McCourt, whose father was a contractor. "You know, my parents and my grandparents lived a very dignified life. And why is that we can't do that in America anymore? Why is it that service workers, policemen and women, firemen and women, nurses, teachers? Why can't they?"
"It came about with me just struggling with that question, and thinking about my grandfather and my mother, and thinking about all the opportunities I've had," he said of the documentary.
McCourt: Rising costs pushing dream out of reach
McCourt has thoughts about the answers to that question.
Housing costs are a major contributor. From World War II to the 1970s, the median home price in the U.S. was 3.3 times median income, he said. Today, it's eight times the median income and 18 times a janitor's income, he said.
"So that means that we've designed a policy in America that says that service workers don't get to own a home," McCourt said.
The buying power of the dollar overall is another factor. He is skeptical of politicians and pundits who say it can purchase more in 2026 than it did in the 1970s.
"That's true if they get to decide what 100 objects you put into that bucket to measure. It is easier and cheaper to buy a plastic toy made in Asia than it was dollar-for-dollar than it was in the 1970s, but 70% of our budget goes to four things. It's your housing, your transportation, your health care, and your food," McCourt said.
"We can do without a cheap plastic toy from Asia, but we can't do without food, transportation, health care and a home, and those costs are out of control, and it's not fair, it's not morally right, and we need to address it," he said.
"And I know the arguments. It's an argument for every one of them," McCourt added. "It's the government's fault because there's too much regulation. It's the environmentalists' fault because there's too much regulation. There's an excuse for everything. But we should stop with the excuses and solve the problems if we want America to continue to be the greatest country in the world."
Amplifying the American Dream
Collaborating on bringing 'Amerigo' to viewers is doubly fulfilling for WVIA President & CEO Carla McCabe: It offers the station the chance to take part in a historic and meaningful community conversation, and it celebrates a cause that is dear to her personally.
"Having a different perspective and appreciation as an immigrant, I value any chance I get to amplify the American Dream," said McCabe, who came to the United States from Northern Ireland and is now a U.S. citizen.
The connection between WVIA and McCourt came by way of McCabe's homeland: Longtime WVIA supporter Virginia McGregor, from Scranton, met McCourt during a visit to Ireland, where McCourt spends part of his time.
McGregor said McCourt and McCabe should meet.
"And here we are," McCabe said. "I couldn't be more pleased. I truly hope viewers walk away with an enhanced understanding of what it means to be an American and how we can all work toward keeping the American Dream alive."
'I was so inspired by the people in Carbondale'
That is not the only Northeast Pennsylvania connection, as noted.
"It was an accident that we just happened to be driving through there, and we ran into people from Carbondale," he recalled.
"Mayor Bannon said, 'Look, this was a dying coal town,' and she said herself and the rest of the community refused to let it die," McCourt said. "They said we're going to make it a vibrant town, and we're not going to buy into that."
"I was so inspired by the people in Carbondale and their willingness and their enthusiasm," McCourt said. "This is the type of neighborhood I want to come back to and have a conversation about the American Dream."
Bannon sees that reflected in her community's heritage.
"We are the quintessential example of what David talks about with his family, you know, with his [grandfather]," she said. "It was just like one or two generations off of what he talks about — people coming here from another country with nothing in their pockets and raising us [to have] the life that we all have."
She also knows some people in the region look at that past and internalize self-doubt.
"I say all the time about us up here in Carbondale that we have that coal-mining mentality. It's a good thing, but it also could be a detriment, because 'you're never good enough,' 'it's never going to work,' and everything else," Bannon said.
"But at the same time, we're very resilient. We know how to rebuild. We redefine ourselves all the time, and as a result, we're very hopeful."
'Are we going to fix it for everyone?'
"Amerigo" is not a political documentary and doesn't dwell on the nation's politics.
It does, however, echo historic speeches and quotes about the American Dream from singers, poets, presidents, civil rights leaders, businesspeople and journalists.
One of those speeches comes from President Ronald Reagan — the last he gave as president, in January 1989.
'`You can go to live in France, but you cannot become a Frenchman. You can go to live in Germany or Turkey or Japan, but you cannot become a German, a Turk, or Japanese. But anyone, from any corner of the Earth, can come to live in America and become an American," Reagan said, recalling a letter he received.
Does McCourt think that still applies to the country he criss-crossed while making his documentary?
"I want to believe that it's true, and after meeting people in every state, I found that Americans are incredibly optimistic and hard working and they're not as divided as you would think," he said.
"And they want it to be true, and they want to fix these problems, and they're fixable," McCourt said. "But we've got to decide, are we going to fix it for everyone? Are we just going to fix it for a small percentage? And is that the country we want to live in?"
ABOUT DAVID McCOURT
David McCourt, who grew up in Boston, rose to prominence as an entrepreneur in the telecommunications industry. One of his acquisitions in the 1990s was C-TEC Corporation, later known as Commonwealth Telephone Enterprises, which was based in Luzerne County.
McCourt also is an Emmy Award-winning executive producer whose projects have included 'Reading Rainbow,' 'Whats Going On' and 'Miracle's Boys.'
His current endeavors include McCourt Entertainment, which is producing 'Amerigo,' and Granahan McCourt Capital.
