‘Shiny Happy People: Duggar Family Secrets’ rocks Prime Video: A ‘rabbit hole of research’ details public downfall

On June 2, 2023, Amazon Prime Video released “Shiny Happy People: Duggar Family Secrets” to widespread critical acclaim. The four-part documentary series unravels the painful truth of the onetime reality juggernaut family alongside their religious beliefs that led to their downfall. With interviews from family members, including Jill Duggar Dillard and her husband, as well as individuals close to the family, no stone was left unturned. Read our full review round-up below. 

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Johnny Loftus of Decider says, “STREAM IT. ‘Shiny Happy People: Duggar Family Secrets’ offers first hand testimony about the day-to-day behaviors of its titular family, as well as the inner workings and intentions of an organization bent on remaking America in its own hyper-Christian, male authority-loving image.” He adds, “Its bona fides are illustrated right away by interviewing Jill Dillard – it probes but doesn’t entirely push her to speak about her brother Josh Duggar’s sexual predation – and unlike the recent tendency in documentary material to thin and stretch out the content for even more clicks, it promises to elevate its narrative beyond the immediate motivations of the Duggars and into an examination of just what the IBLP has been up to this whole time.    “

Dory Jackson of People writes, “The four-part limited series, which premiered on Friday, explored the wholesome family’s troubling ties to a radical religious organization. In doing so, it showed how the organization has shaped — and negatively impacted — the once-beloved TLC brood, which has since faced a bevy of scandals. It also explores the depths to which the organization has gone to entrench itself within higher political systems, and the various levels of abuse that target its most vulnerable members.” Jackson also singles out some of the most shocking moments of the series including the decision to not inform Josh Duggar’s wife, Anna, about his sexual abuse until after their nuptials and the fact that, “After Josh Duggar’s abuse was revealed, Jill Duggar Dillard and Jessa Duggar Seewald‘s infamous Megyn Kelly interview occurred in order to save the family’s show.” 

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Jennifer O’Brien of Screen Rant also praises the documentary series, noting that it pulls back the curtain and reveals secrets the famous family would have preferred stayed buried. For example, “The Institute in Basic Life Principles (IBLP) is a nondenominational Christian organization led by Bill Gothard. In the past, the IBLP has been described as a cult. However, in 2014, Bill decided to step down over claims that he had sexually harassed women. Bobye came back to share that Jim Bob and Michelle became the leader’s replacements. Thanks to their platform on ’19 Kids and Counting,’ Jim Bob started to ‘encourage people to move to Arkansas, which is completely a cult move.'”

Adrian Horton of Guardian states, “Over four episodes, ‘Shiny Happy People’ mimics a rabbit hole of research – a show that is initially about an odd corner of American celebrity morphs into a recounting of abuse within the family, to abuse propagated and protected by IBLP, and to the inroads fundamentalist, authoritarian-leaning Christianity has made in US schools, government and civic life. (The series arrives a month before the first anniversary of the reversal of Roe v Wade, long the goal for the religious right.)” Horton adds, “Jill Duggar Dillard, the only Duggar offspring to participate in the series, recalls with regret the family’s efforts to use her to restore their reputation in the wake of Josh’s crimes: ‘You just feel like the burden and the weight falls on you to, like, help, because you’re the only one who can.’”

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