Duggar Doc Producers Say 'Things Fell Through the Cracks' with the Family — but Scandal Is 'Much Bigger'
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Producers for Prime Video's 'Shiny Happy People' exclusively tell PEOPLE: "Our hope is that people really take a look at that and start to ask of themselves, 'How was this allowed to flourish?'"
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The team behind Prime Video's Shiny Happy People: Duggar Family Secrets aims to spark change.
The four-part docuseries closely examines the Duggar family and their many scandals, with and exploration of the family's ties to the ultra-conservative Institute in Basic Life Principles (IBLP) taking center stage.
Shiny Happy People producer Blye Faust tells PEOPLE that when it comes to the special's biggest takeaway, "There's a couple of larger things to unpack."
"One is that systems need to be in place to protect the most vulnerable," says Faust.
"It feels like really, in this instance, things fell through the cracks on a number of levels. And that's with regard to the Duggars themselves, but also much bigger," she continues. She particularly points to "the women and children within the Institute in Basic Life Principles" as those who were negatively impacted by countless alleged crimes and indiscretions that were overlooked, perpetuated or even inspired by its teachings.
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She adds, "Our hope is that people really take a look at that and start to ask of themselves, 'How was this allowed to flourish?' And 'What was all of our roles in it? And 'What do we do? How do we course-correct this going forward?'"
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Cori Shepherd, a fellow producer on the project, says she "certainly" hopes that their docuseries can help create widespread change.
"We're seeing this blow up huge on the internet right now. TikTok is just going crazy. ... There's just so much discussion about it that we're already seeing from an entire generation who grew up either under IBLP, or under institutions that were heavily influenced by these ideas," Shepherd says. "I mean, this thing went so wide that there are people where you don't even hear the words, the acronym IBLP, but the teaching is deep in whatever it is they're doing. There's an entire generation that is already talking about this as they're starting to deconstruct their own upbringing."
Shepherd also notes that "a lot of people" who watched the Duggar family's TLC series 19 Kids and Counting are now questioning what they "consumed" while tuning in.
"A lot of young people who are now growing up, having their own families and starting to question, 'Wait a minute, what the hell was I watching?'" she continues. "We were consuming misogyny as entertainment. Consuming, watching, intellectual abuse happen, educational abuse happen, and seeing it as like, 'Oh, isn't that wacky? They make tater tot casserole.'"
Unlike some of their relatives, family patriarch and matriarch Jim Bob and Michelle Duggar do not appear in Shiny Happy People — though they did issue a critical statement.
"The recent 'documentary' that talks about our family is sad because in it we see the media and those with ill intentions hurting people we love. Like other families, ours too has experienced the joys and heartbreaks of life, just in a very public format," their statement on their official website read. "This 'documentary' paints so much and so many in a derogatory and sensationalized way because sadly that’s the direction of entertainment these days."
"We have always believed that the best chance to repair damaged relationships, or to reconcile differences, is through love in a private setting," the statement concluded. "We love every member of our family and will continue to do all we can to have a good relationship with each one. Through both the triumphs and the trials we have clung to our faith all the more and discovered that through the love and grace of Jesus, we find strength, comfort, and purpose."
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Shiny Happy People: Duggar Family Secrets is now streaming in full on Prime Video.
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