'Three Wishes' Not Regular Reality TV

If Kleenex’s profits have skyrocketed this fall, the tissue manufacturer should thank NBC and its tearjerker of a show, Three Wishes. Following in the wake of ABC’s feel-good, do-good Extreme Makeover: Home Edition, this heart-warmer does exactly what its title implies. Each week, the cast and crew roll into a small town, pitch a tent on Main Street (literally) and, after listening to lines of townsfolk sharing their deepest desires, decide upon three wishes to grant.

Sure, they hear a few Hail Marys such as “I wish for $1 million” or “I’d sure like a new car.” But Three Wishes isn’t about superficial or selfish requests. Instead, host Amy Grant would rather change a few lives—with a little help from some big (corporate) friends, of course.

Let’s Get the Bad Out of the Way
So far, TV critics haven’t bought into the idea of a show having purely altruistic motives. And at times it’s easy to see why, given the continual parade of sponsor plugs. Every granted wish comes from a wish-granter, and in this case the fairy godmother just happens to be AmeriQuest, Home Depot, Ford, CheapTickets or any of the other companies that get plenty of on-air kudos. PopMatters’ Terry Sawyer blasts the show for being a “veritable showcase for corporate largesse, and, oh yes, self-promotion.”

Skeptics argue that’s not the only problem. The New York Times’ Ned Martel says Three Wishes “elevates the already sky-high power of celebrity” by implying that small-town folks can only get their prayers answered when big names such as Grant and her team of TLC makeover-show stars come to their rescue. Add to that the emotional manipulation of both viewers and participants, which Martel describes as “unseemly and, frankly, disrespectful exploitations of private grief or anguish, even though the injured are willing participants with something to gain.”

Enough Already
Allow me now to flip the coin over for a moment. Like any reality show, Three Wishes is ultimately made in the editing room. Interviews are spliced to up the sob-story elements. Events are staged to draw out the drama. Time sequences are probably altered. So do we get the full story? Undoubtedly not. Do the cameras have rose-colored lenses? Sure.

But as I wipe the mist away after each exhausting episode, I can’t help but think: This is television—and “reality” television at that. The higher the emotion, the better the drama. Only this show opts to put the spotlight on goodwill rather than the bug-eating competitions, backstabbing or one-night stands so glorified on its prime-time neighbors.

The fact is, Three Wishes is all about helping people in need. When a young couple’s dairy farm is lost to a fire, the show goes above and beyond the wife’s meager wish to “get a little help.” Instead, they get a day off at a nearby amusement park and a new, massive, state-of-the-art dairy farm. Similarly, when a high school senior is involved in a debilitating car accident shortly before graduating, producers fulfill the family’s wish to see the now wheelchair-bound girl receive her diploma by bringing in hundreds of classmates and friends for a makeup ceremony. As if that weren’t enough, she receives intense physical therapy and, with some helping hands and a thunderous ovation from the crowd, actually walks to accept her certificate.

In one of the show’s most emotional moments to date, a tumor-stricken father given only six months to live is celebrated with a virtual This Is Your Life parade of past friends flown in from all over the country. His wife’s wish? To simply to see her husband smile again.

All About the Asking
It’s that unassuming nature that most characterizes those who get their wishes granted. “The people on our show in general are not the type who are looking for their 15 minutes of fame,” says creator and executive producer Andrew Glassman. “The people are really in the middle of a very real life crisis or wishing for something that’s meaningful in their lives.”

Maybe that element of giving deserving folks a helping hand is what Glassman and Grant are banking on to draw an audience. It certainly worked for Home Edition, which last year established itself as a Top-10 show. “Uplifting shows that have this spirit are always going to work and will outlive the bug-eating,” Glassman says.

I sincerely hope he’s right.