The Chrisleys are coming back — but not to the life viewers once knew. After more than two years of prison terms, courtroom battles and very public heartbreak,

Todd and Julie Chrisley are returning to television in a new Lifetime docuseries that promises to strip away the polish and confront the damage head-on.

The network’s upcoming project, The Chrisleys: Back to Reality, will chronicle what happens after the gates open, after the headlines fade and after a family

that built an empire on togetherness must figure out whether it can truly be whole again.

Lifetime dropped an extended trailer on July 31, and it is anything but a victory lap. Instead of champagne and catchphrases, viewers are given tears, fractures and raw confessions. If Chrisley Knows Best was about control, image and comedic timing, this new chapter looks determined to show what happens when control is lost.

A comeback born from catastrophe

Todd and Julie once ruled USA Network with their blend of Southern extravagance and rapid-fire banter. From 2014 until the show’s end in 2023, Chrisley Knows Best sold a fantasy of wealth, faith and family loyalty.

But behind the scenes, a federal case was tightening its grip.

Indicted in 2019 on charges including wire fraud, bank fraud conspiracy and conspiracy to defraud the United States, the couple maintained their innocence. In 2022, a jury found them guilty. By early 2023, Todd was headed to Federal Prison Camp Pensacola with a 12-year sentence (later reduced), while Julie began her time at FMC Lexington with seven years, eventually trimmed by more than a year.

What followed was a long, loud campaign from their children — especially Savannah — insisting their parents had been wronged.

Then came the political thunderbolt. In May, President Donald Trump agreed to pardon them, personally calling Savannah and Grayson with the news. By day’s end, Todd and Julie were walking free.

And now, cameras are rolling again.

What the new series promises

Lifetime describes Back to Reality as an unfiltered look at reentry, reconciliation and reckoning. The footage in the trailer makes it clear this is not merely about Todd and Julie’s return — it’s about the emotional cost paid by everyone who waited for them.

The preview opens with Savannah on the phone with her father while he is still incarcerated. Todd’s voice, steady but distant, reassures her they will “get through” it. Julie is heard separately, longing for reunion — with her husband, her children, her parents, even her mother-in-law.

It’s intimate, almost intrusive, and miles away from the carefully produced humor fans remember.

Then comes the pivot. Flashbacks to the family’s meteoric fame collide with Chase admitting that while America watched a hit show, they were privately battling the federal government. The glamour dissolves into mugshots, goodbye embraces and doors closing.

Savannah breaks down remembering the day she left her father behind.

From there, the trailer plants its flag: survival is not the same as healing.

Chase at the center of concern

One of the most startling through lines involves Chase Chrisley. Savannah’s voice shakes as she describes watching her brother change.

“Chase is not Chase,” she says. “It’s literally like a blank shell.”

In another moment, she admits a fear so severe it has altered how she interacts with him — worrying he could die, she sometimes pulls back rather than risk deeper hurt.

It is a brutal admission, and it signals that the series will not shy away from uncomfortable truths about depression, avoidance and the way trauma reshapes relationships.

Savannah also declares the household “divided,” hinting at disagreements over responsibility, coping strategies and perhaps even loyalty.

Familiar faces, unfamiliar territory

The show will feature Savannah, Chase and Grayson, along with beloved matriarch “Nanny” Faye and Julie’s parents, Pam and Harvey Hughes. But they are entering a story that no longer runs on punchlines.

By the trailer’s end, Todd and Julie finally appear together, seated for what looks like a formal interview after their release.

“Well, we survived,” Julie tells him as they embrace.

Todd, never one to retreat from a spotlight, makes a promise that doubles as a warning: he intends to expose the truth, and viewers may hear more than they expected.

Savannah’s mission

Before the pardon, Savannah told reporters that the Lifetime project would capture everything — the legal fight, the separation and the moment of return. She revealed her parents had not spoken for roughly two and a half years, an absence she called devastating.

Their wedding anniversary was approaching, along with a mountain of missed holidays. The plan, she said, was to celebrate them all.

But Savannah has also been transformed by the experience. She has spoken openly about how her parents’ imprisonment changed her understanding of the justice system and ignited a passion for advocacy on behalf of other inmates.

Walking out of prison with her father, she said, felt like stepping into a calling she never anticipated.

When and where to watch

Lifetime has scheduled a two-night premiere event for September 1 and September 2 at 8 p.m. ET. Given the intensity of the trailer, expect conversation, controversy and very strong opinions.

The stakes of telling it all

Reality television thrives on reinvention, but few families have attempted one this loaded. Redemption narratives invite scrutiny. Confession invites contradiction. And audiences who once laughed along may now judge, sympathize or reject.

Yet the Chrisleys appear ready.

What makes The Chrisleys: Back to Reality compelling is not simply that Todd and Julie are free. It’s that freedom comes with questions: Who are they now? Who did their children become without them? And can a family that survived the unthinkable learn how to live together again?

In September, viewers will find out.