For some time now, the Chrisley family has been aiming to make a TV comeback years after the cancellation of their USA Network show, Chrisley Knows Best. Their new project is truly coming together now, though, as Lifetime has ordered the Chrisleys’ new show to series. Since that announcement though, there’s been a major development – the heads of the family, Todd and Julie, have been released from prison after being pardoned. An insider dished on how this affects the show, and they name-dropped Wendy Williams in the process.
The currently untitled Chrisley TV project was announced near the end of May. It was confirmed at the time that the reality series would be headlined by Savannah Chrisley and her siblings, Chase, Gryason and Chloe as well as their grandmother, Nanny Faye. A synopsis was also released, which teased how the show would focus on the kids’ personal lives and their struggles to deal with the absences of their imprisoned parents.
Considering that Julie and Todd Chrisley are now free, it goes without saying that a portion of the series’ synopsis is essentially moot now. However, if the aforementioned source’s comments to People are be believed, the producers behind the show are now taking a fluid approach amid the changes in the brood’s situation:
The show is still filming and will continue to, though the family’s situation is evolving rapidly. No one knew this pardon would happen and the goal is to cover their lives in real time, but things have significantly changed for them all and everyone in the family, as well as producers, are trying to figure it out and tell their authentic story.
As challenging as this all may sound, it would seem that the creative team isn’t really sweating it. The insider cites the previously mentioned talk show host as a key reason for that:
But the producers are used to this. It’s similar to Wendy Williams. When filming began on her doc, they thought they were going to do one kind of show and then everything changed.
In 2024, Lifetime released Where is Wendy Williams?, a four-part docuseries that focuses on the former media personality in the aftermath of her eponymous show’s cancellation. The show also covers Williams’ health struggles and her placement under guardianship. Reports have since indicated that production on that series changed as time went on. Ultimately, the doc sparked controversy, with some viewers calling it exploitative and hard to watch. One of Williams’ former producers expressed their misgivings about it, while the EPs behind the docuseries claimed Williams was fine with the way it turned out.
Todd and Julie Chrisley’s situation is, of course, much different. News of their pardons broke in late May, at which point daughter Savannah expressed excitement. The couple was found guilty of bank fraud, tax evasion and more in 2022, with Julie and Todd subsequently receiving seven and 12-year prison sentences, respectively. Savannah advocated for them over the last several years and eventually worked with presidential “pardon czar” Alice Marie Johnson to have her parents released.
Well ahead of the Chrisleys’ release, there was uncertainty regarding whether Todd and Julie would be involved with the show. That doesn’t seem to be a question at this point. Still, Alice Marie Johnson advised that the married pair take some time to collect themselves as they reintegrate themselves into society. Regardless of whether Julie and Todd take that advice, their family is returning to the small screen at some point amid the 2025 TV schedule and, given how things have changed, it’s very possible that they’ll be on the series.
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