News Summary
Charleston residents Earl Bridges and Craig Martin’s PBS travel series, ‘The Good Road,’ has achieved significant recognition by winning 15 awards at the 46th Telly Awards, including five gold awards. The series excels in storytelling, focusing on transformative narratives from around the globe while highlighting local issues in Charleston. Despite challenges with PBS funding cuts, the series maintains a strong online presence, notably on YouTube, with 489,000 subscribers. Its latest season features impactful episodes, including the celebrated ‘Liquid NA Courage,’ spotlighting the non-alcoholic beverage industry.
Charleston – The PBS travel series “The Good Road,” co-created and hosted by Charleston residents Earl Bridges and Craig Martin, has garnered 15 national Telly Awards at the 46th annual ceremony held on May 20, 2025. Among these commendations are five gold, seven silver, and three bronze awards, highlighting the show’s excellence in storytelling and production quality across various media platforms.
The Telly Awards are prestigious accolades that recognize outstanding video content across broadcast, digital, and streaming services, emphasizing innovative storytelling and high production standards. “The Good Road” has outperformed many competitors, showcasing its ability to engage and inform audiences through impactful narratives.
Bridges and Martin, who have been friends since childhood in Bangkok, seek to illuminate the stories of individuals making a difference in lesser-known communities worldwide. The series focuses on transformative stories that often go unnoticed, bringing vital issues to the forefront of public consciousness. Each season typically includes an episode filmed in Charleston, which highlights the city’s unique and riveting community stories.
In its fifth season, “The Good Road” features episodes that explore various locales like Istanbul, Cuba, New York City, St. Thomas, Miami, St. Croix, and Asheville. However, the episodes filmed in Charleston spotlight important local issues. Past episodes have examined topics including the challenges posed by rising waters, the role of local journalism in the community, and the struggles faced by the marginalized Gullah Geechee people, thereby resonating with both local and national audiences.
Despite facing challenges with federal funding cuts affecting PBS, the series has maintained a significant following, aided by its YouTube channel, which boasts approximately 489,000 subscribers. This online presence has enabled a broader audience to access the series, ensuring that the compelling stories continue to reach viewers despite potential limitations on traditional broadcasting platforms.
Bridges shared concerns about potential viewer loss due to PBS’s funding uncertainties but assured the commitment to sharing inspiring narratives regardless of their distribution network’s status. A particularly notable episode in the latest season is “Liquid NA Courage,” which spotlights the burgeoning non-alcoholic beverage industry. This episode coincides with Martin’s own experience with sobriety and features interviews with key figures, including women involved in New York City’s non-alcoholic scene, such as sober sexologists.
This episode has not only accomplished the goal of highlighting an emerging industry but has also drawn attention for its timely subject matter. Bridges submitted “Liquid NA Courage” for both Telly nominations and consideration for a Daytime Emmy nomination, furthering the chances of recognition for its compelling content.
The success of “The Good Road” at the Telly Awards signifies the show’s impact and the dedication of its creators to explore and share inspiring stories from around the globe. As the series continues to capture the essence of human connection and resilience through storytelling, it reinforces the importance of showcasing issues that matter to diverse audiences.
In summary, “The Good Road” exemplifies excellence in documentary storytelling while celebrating the vibrancy of communities both local and global. With a strong commitment to impactful narratives and an increasing online audience, the series remains poised to redefine conventional travel programming and inspire viewers to appreciate the richness of cultural narratives in interconnected communities.
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Additional Resources
- Post and Courier: The Good Road Travel Series
- Conde Nast Traveler: The Best East Coast Road Trips
- Eater: Best New Brunch Spots in Charleston
- Charleston City Paper: Best of Charleston 2025
- Google Search: The Good Road
