Three Wishes

New York PostAdam Buckman

A wall-to-wall weepfest.

Entertainment WeeklyGillian Flynn

So, yeah, Three Wishes will leave your heartstrings over-fondled. But if you can get past that... it's also one of the most interactive TV shows around. [4 Nov 2005, p.63]

San Francisco ChronicleTim Goodman

The jaded will have a field day, but so what? In the end, if lives are changed like they are on "Three Wishes" and "Extreme Makeover: Home Edition," then who cares what corporate names are flashed or how many manufactured "reveals" there are?

San Jose Mercury NewsCharlie McCollum

It's all shamelessly manipulative, but the show has real heart.

People WeeklyTom Gliatto

Three Wishes is about sowing seeds of kindness that blossom into a garden of good feeling, but it can feel like a flower show dusted with endless sprayings of industrial fertilizer. [31 Oct 2005, p.39]

NewsdayVerne Gay

There is at least one troubling aspect to "Wishes" - an abundance of product placements within the show itself, which begs the question: Does salvation come with a price tag?

Pittsburgh Post-GazetteRob Owen

To be fair, "Three Wishes" is touching. It is heartwarming to see nice things done for people in need. But it also feels like the show manipulates viewers.

Chicago TribuneSid Smith

There's something about "Three Wishes" and all these shows that seems exploitative and programmatic.

New York Daily NewsDavid Hinckley

Yes, these are good deeds. Yes, Amy Grant seems genuinely nice. But no, "Three Wishes," unlike "Extreme Makeover: Home Edition," does not come off as a good TV show.

Seattle Post-IntelligencerMelanie McFarland

This show may cause diabetes.

The New York TimesNed Martel

The show admirably shakes up these lives and implores people to envision improvements, but much of these benefits could be accomplished without such a benefactor swooping into town.

VarietyBrian Lowry

The producers of this NBC wish-fulfillment show have endeavored to out-schmaltz ABC's "Extreme Makeover: Home Edition," and for those who can stomach this level of manipulative fluff, damned if they haven't done it.

Philadelphia InquirerJonathan Storm

Without being paid to watch, this mean old critic wouldn't have left it on five minutes, but, in the confessional spirit that permeates this show, has to admit to an occasional welling of the tear ducts.

SalonHeather Havrilesky

Americans suffer, Americans chip in and throw Big Money at the problem, Big Money Fixes Everything, and then millions of Americans at home sob and wastefully plow through a forest of tissue paper while feeling way, way better about themselves than they have since, like, before that hurricane hit New Orleans.

Hollywood ReporterBarry Garron

[It] might more accurately be titled "Touched by a Sponsor."

PopMattersTerry Sawyer

Three Wishes is a veritable showcase for corporate largesse, and oh yes, self-promotion.

Boston GlobeMatthew Gilbert

It's hard to quibble with such a philanthropic series, even while its motives are, of course, Nielsen-based. But it's easy to quibble with the condescension, fraudulence, and manipulation of ''Three Wishes," as every single scene is ruthlessly choreographed to put a lump in our throats.

Chicago Sun-TimesDoug Elfman

This is annoying beyond my comprehension.

Miami HeraldGlenn Garvin

I'll give the show credit; it did make me think what I would ask if granted three wishes. Interestingly, all three involved the flesh of Amy Grant being devoured by rabid weasels.