Prime Video unveils trailer for Shiny Happy People: A Teenage Holy War, diving into the rise and fall of controversial youth ministry Teen Mania.
Prime Video is reigniting a gripping chapter in its acclaimed docuseries with the release of Shiny Happy People: A Teenage Holy War, premiering all three episodes July 23. The official trailer and key art dropped today, offering a chilling first look at the next installment from the producers of Shiny Happy People: Duggar Family Secrets.
This new three-part docuseries zeroes in on Teen Mania, once known as the largest youth ministry in the United States. With stadiums packed to the brim, Acquire the Fire rallies drew in millions of teens fueled by religious fervor, high-energy rock anthems, and sweeping purity pledges. But behind the curtain of wholesome spiritual revival was a pressure-cooker environment of bootcamps, intense psychological manipulation, and surreal role-playing “training” that left many emotionally scarred.
Shiny Happy People: A Teenage Holy War is directed by the powerhouse team of Nicole Newnham and Cori Shepherd, whose combined work has earned Oscar and Emmy honors. Newnham and Shepherd also serve as executive producers alongside Blye Faust, Lauren Andrade, and Eric Cook. The series is produced by Amazon MGM Studios and Story Force Entertainment.
The docuseries explores how Teen Mania’s outsized ambitions and charismatic leadership drove a generation of evangelical teens into extreme faith-based environments—ones that often blurred the lines between inspiration and indoctrination. From high-pressure “Honor Academy” programs to globally controversial missionary trips, A Teenage Holy War promises a jarring, nostalgia-tinged look at the cost of spiritual obedience in the name of youth empowerment.
Building on the cultural impact of the original Shiny Happy People series, this new installment brings peak Millennial cringe and sharp investigative storytelling to the forefront, asking bold questions about faith, control, and the real legacy left behind by one of America’s most influential youth movements.
All episodes of Shiny Happy People: A Teenage Holy War premiere July 23, exclusively on Prime Video.
