- Network: NBC
- Series Premiere Date: Sep 23, 2005
Critic Reviews
- Critic score
- Publication
- By date
-
A wall-to-wall weepfest.
-
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?
-
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]
-
It's all shamelessly manipulative, but the show has real heart.
-
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?
-
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.
-
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]
-
There's something about "Three Wishes" and all these shows that seems exploitative and programmatic.
-
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.
-
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.
-
This show may cause diabetes.
-
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.
-
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.
-
[It] might more accurately be titled "Touched by a Sponsor."
-
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.
-
Three Wishes is a veritable showcase for corporate largesse, and oh yes, self-promotion.
-
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.
-
This is annoying beyond my comprehension.
-
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.
Awards & Rankings
User score distribution:
-
Positive: 18 out of 21
-
Mixed: 0 out of 21
-
Negative: 3 out of 21
-
PatWDec 31, 2006I still watch the reruns on CMT and I think that it was a great show.
-
williamsOct 17, 2006would like to know when the show is coming back on , as i really enjoyed the show
-
CarlaHDec 5, 2005