‘Shiny Happy People: Duggar Family Secrets’ Docuseries Review
This series streamed in 2023.
Shiny Happy People: Duggar Family Secrets explores the dark secrets of the reality television show 19 Kids and Counting and their connections to the mysterious Institute in Basic Life Principles.
Jill Duggar Dillard and her husband, Derick, describe what it was like behind the scenes of their TLC reality show. The two of them and other family members describe what the Duggars were really like and their reaction to Josh Duggar being outed as a heinous monster. Along with some experts, they also describe the connection to the alleged Christian organization, the Institute in Basic Life Principles, and its nefarious founder.
When the documentary stayed focused on the Duggars and the alleged grooming activity of the IBLP, it worked out fine. Jill and Derick were very engaging, sharing how they were cheated out of their livelihoods by Jim Bob Duggar and TLC and forced to continue on despite not wanting to.
I also thought about how they approached the Josh scandal in a way that exposed his horrible crimes and uplifted his victims. That was very enthralling, and it helped paint a picture of how Jim Bob and the IBLP took advantage of the situation and used it to cover up the crimes. It was sad to see an organization that purports to be Christian behave in such a manner.
A couple of times, they did lose me. They had several so-called experts, a YouTuber, a random journalist, and an alleged pastor no one has heard of give commentary. The three of them were just there to expand their brands. The moronic YouTuber just wanted to bash all Christians, the lackluster pastor was an obvious seminary dropout, and the alleged journalist clearly was just there because she could be. They offered no beneficial expertise, and in fact, most of what they said was outright boring and, at times, inflammatory to legitimate Christians. I wish they had cut out these three so more time could be focused on Jill and the other victims.
There was also an attempt to lump all evangelicals with IBLP. In fact, this was a spin-off cult from the Baptists, but Hollywood’s anti-Christian agenda marches on. The victims interviewed never made this connection, but they trotted out someone who led a random movement that no one had heard of to prove this point and then tried to tie it to run-of-the-mill Christian activities. It was a narrative and one given at the expense of the cult victims.
Aside from that, the four-part series from Amazon Studios definitely shone a light on TLC and their desperation for ratings at the expense of innocent children. It was compelling, and its tragic story is a horrifying look at how fame can usurp safety.
Check out the trailer below:
PARENTAL CONCERNS: Strong foul language, Disturbing topics including sexual abuse
What do you think? Let me know in the comments below. Tell me if there is a comic book, movie, anime, or novel you would like me to review.