The Chrisley Family Lifetime series update is rapidly changing now that Todd and Julie Chrisley have received presidential pardons.
Originally, the new Lifetime docuseries was announced while Todd and Julie were still behind bars, with the focus on how their children, Chase, Savannah, Grayson, and Chloe, and Nanny Faye were coping without their parents. On May 21, Lifetime confirmed the series would premiere, chronicling the family’s struggles and resilience during the parents’ imprisonment.
Todd, 57, and Julie, 52, began their prison sentences in January 2023 after their November 2022 sentencing. Fans expected them to be absent from the show due to their incarceration, but everything changed on May 27 when former President Donald Trump granted the couple a full pardon. Todd was released the very next day. This unexpected legal development, coming two and a half years after Todd and Julie first reported to prison, has forced the Lifetime production team to rethink their approach to the show, which is still filming.
A source close to the project told PEOPLE that the family’s situation is evolving rapidly and no one saw the pardon coming. “The goal is to cover their lives in real time,” the source said, “but things have significantly changed for them all, and everyone, including the family and producers, is trying to figure out how to tell their authentic story.” This has led to big shifts in the direction of the new docuseries, currently titled The Untitled Chrisleys Project.
The source explained that this new show will be quite different from Chrisley Knows Best, which was known for its comical and lighthearted tone before ending on USA Network in March 2023. That series was the family’s longtime reality hit, while the Chase- and Savannah-focused spinoff Growing Up Chrisley wrapped up in October 2022, just a month before Todd and Julie were sentenced.
Now, the tone of the Lifetime show reflects a family in a much different place emotionally and practically. “The producers are used to this,” the source said, drawing a parallel to the Wendy Williams docuseries, which also shifted direction after major events during filming. The Chrisleys’ new series will reveal “the raw truth of their lives, past and present”, and it promises to show a reality far from what audiences have seen before.
According to an official network logline, “The Chrisleys don’t know best anymore, but they’re doing their best to be there for each other.” The family faces the challenge of carrying on the Chrisley name and legacy mostly on their own, relying on phone calls and brief visits with their incarcerated parents. Savannah, now 27, maintains custody of her younger siblings, Chloe and Grayson, and has been fighting tirelessly for her parents’ freedom through a presidential pardon.
Meanwhile, Chase is dealing with personal struggles while working on building a new business and navigating his relationship with girlfriend Jodi. The multigenerational family, including Nanny Faye, is opening up about their challenges in a way fans haven’t seen before.
Earlier this year, Savannah told PEOPLE that the family had been working with a production company on the new project and things “were going great” at first. But she later became uncomfortable with certain aspects of the production and made the decision to step back. “There were some things that were done that I did not like,” Savannah said. “I backed out. I stepped away, and I said, ‘I’m done. I am not working. I’m not getting myself in a situation I don’t feel comfortable and safe in’.”
With Todd and Julie now free, the Lifetime series is pivoting to show the family’s journey in real time as they heal and rebuild their lives together. The show is still filming, and the producers, along with the Chrisleys, are working hard to tell a story that is raw, authentic, and true to their experience.
The series captures the family at a pivotal moment, proving that even when life’s plans get flipped upside down, their story continues, and viewers are here for every twist and turn.
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