Oprah's Big Give

Baltimore SunDavid Zurawik

Winfrey and ABC have taken the much-maligned reality TV format and used it to create a show that both entertains and encourages viewers to think about such matters as how best to help others.

Pittsburgh Post-GazetteRob Owen

It may do some good, but it's still a piece of TV entertainment that, first and foremost, must succeed as a revenue generator for ABC. That realistic, not cynical, caveat aside, Big Give is certainly more positive than "Big Brother" or numerous other reality shows.

SalonHeather Havrilesky

A heartfelt, inspiring, uplifting TV show that brings out the best in people? Who could possibly resist that?

SlateTroy Patterson

In all, Oprah's Big Give is a triumph of virtue, which leaves only the question of who would want to watch it.

Orlando SentinelHal Boedeker

Oprah's Big Give overflows with emotion, tears and hugs.

New York PostLinda Stasi

Think "The Apprentice" meets "Extreme Home Makeover" and you've got the heartwarming Oprah's Big Give. All shows together equal more Sunday-night tears than a feelgood Lifetime movie marathon.

Boston GlobeMatthew Gilbert

Is it strange to make good will and charity into a win-lose proposition? Is it peculiar to judge the givers on their manner of giving, to quantify their largesse? To me, yes, it is, and the show makes for awkward viewing as a result.

Chicago Sun-TimesMisha Davenport

There also is something disturbing about making a game out of charitable acts.

Chicago TribuneMaureen Ryan

Though Oprah’s Big Give is supposed to be celebrating the power of giving, it’s more likely to prove that not everything can or should be turned into a contest.

NewsdayDiane Werts

Pathos may make for a more positive reality TV experience than a parade of lying, backstabbing and physical torture. But the basic appeal remains pathetic. Perhaps in more ways than one.

Philadelphia Daily NewsEllen Gray

I'm ashamed that a wounded Marine, about to be discharged after 15 years in the service, needs help from an entertainment show to find and afford civilian housing for himself and his family.

New York Daily NewsDavid Hinckley

People victimized by terrible events and circumstances often feel pride and dignity are two of the few things they have left. There are times in Oprah's Big Give when it feels like those things may be slipping away, in the service of creating a splashier television show.

VarietyBrian Lowry

The result is a series that wants to do good and still have enough "edge" to do well in the rough-and-tumble, less-nurturing environment of reality TV, which feels out of step with all the good vibrations.

The New YorkerNancy Franklin

Oprah’s Big Give stands out as a weird, misbegotten creature that perhaps shouldn’t have been taken out in public.

Washington PostTom Shales

Although Winfrey might imagine she's doing something fresh and innovative, the trite staples of competitive reality pop up predictably.

USA TodayRobert Bianco

Seldom has the drive to do good works been as alarmingly, offensively presumptuous.

Hollywood ReporterRay Richmond

Shallow as a birdbath, the program would appear to exist less as a true philanthropic exercise than yet another self-aggrandizing vehicle in Oprah's divine quest to become synonymous with all that is virtuous and good on Earth.

Philadelphia InquirerJonathan Storm

It's doubtful that Oprah's Big Give would have ever made it to the air without Oprah, but (Wrong No. 1) don't go expecting the diva of the heartstrings to be hosting this exploitative (Wrong No. 2) jumble (Wrong No. 3). She turns up now and then, to cheerlead and oversell (Wrong No. 4), but the real host (Wrong No. 5) is one of her minions, Nate Berkus. More wrongs to come, but you'll have to keep track for yourself.

Miami HeraldGlenn Garvin

Oprah's Big Give is no mere appallingly bad television show but a refutation of human decency itself.