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Critic Reviews
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Greenleaf never once forgets that it is first and foremost a television show--and a soapy-sudsy one at that. But it is also an impeccably written and often beautifully envisioned family drama, reflecting a level of care and authenticity rarely seen in fictional stories about church life.
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As with many soapy dramas, Greenleaf’s strength lies more in its performances than its writing, though Wright and his team are surprisingly restrained, even as they build to histrionic cliffhangers.
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As a viewing experience, Greenleaf is absorbing, hardly pulse-quickening.
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Dandridge is a standout as the sister rediscovering her love of faith even as her doubts about her family grow.
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As soap, Greenleaf bubbles with an abundance of intrigue and too many clichés. ... Still, the characters are compelling enough, and the performances are uniformly strong, if a touch too serious.
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The big family doesn’t quite sort itself out in the first two episodes, with a second airing Wednesday.
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Greenleaf packs a lot of plot into its first few episodes, building gracefully to revelations and confrontations, and playing to its actors' strengths.
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With a talented ensemble and exquisite location work, it’s a solid night-time soap with top notes of consciousness-raising and the added bonus of returning Winfrey to the flat screen (albeit in a co-starring role).
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The family has its sordid secrets--what TV family doesn't?--but Greenleaf stands out in those moments when we see how much Grace misses the life she once thought she had, one of absolute, or at least less complicated, belief.
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The series is uneven, but in an intriguing way--it keeps you wanting to see more.
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Ms. Dandridge makes a positive impression as the show’s lead character and it helps that she has such strong support from Mr. David and especially Ms. Whitfield, whose character proves an effortlessly serene scene-stealer.
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All in all, though Greenleaf strays a bit, it manages to balance its many priorities with something that approaches grace, which is only appropriate for a story set in the house of the Lord.
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It remains to be seen how well Greenleaf will hold attention after the novelty wears off and the storylines have to stand on their own, but after three episodes it's a promising start.
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The tension between true worship and religious lip service gives Greenleaf an extra spark.
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