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The Chrisleys: Back to Reality is making its debut on television, and if you’ve been following the Chrisley family’s journey from reality TV stardom to federal prison and back again, you’re probably curious to see what comes next. But before you start worrying about subscription fees, you should know there’s a way to series The Chrisleys: Back to Reality live for free with the right approach.
How to series The Chrisleys: Back to Reality at a Glance
series The Chrisleys: Back to Reality
The Chrisley family first captured audience attention with their reality series Chrisley Knows Best, which ran for 10 seasons from 2014 to 2023, showcasing patriarch Todd Chrisley’s larger-than-life personality and his family’s Southern charm, mixed with luxury lifestyle drama. What makes this new installment notable is its timing: The series comes after Todd and Julie Chrisley served over two years in federal prison for bank fraud and tax evasion before receiving a presidential pardon from Donald Trump in May 2025.
As Todd says in the trailer, “I have nothing to hide. I look at this as me exposing the truth, and depending on how long this interview goes, you might see more than what you bargained for.” The show covers both the struggle of maintaining family bonds during the parents’ incarceration and their emotional reunion with their family following their release.
Whether you’re a longtime fan of the Chrisley family or curious about their story for the first time, you’re in for a story rarely seen on reality TV from a family that has lived through one of the most dramatic falls from grace. And the best part? You can series the entire thing without paying for cable.
How to series The Chrisleys: Back to Reality Live for Free
The Chrisleys: Back to Reality will air live on Lifetime, and several streaming services offer free trials that let you series the channel without any upfront costs. Philo is our best choice, as it’s both the most budget-friendly option at $28 per month and comes with a seven-day free trial, making it ideal for viewers who primarily want Lifetime and other entertainment channels without paying for sports networks. DirecTV Stream is our next pick, providing a five-day trial across all entertainment packages, with monthly plans starting at $84.99 after promotional periods end (promotional rates start at $79.99). Meanwhile, Sling TV delivers comprehensive options at reasonable prices, with Lifetime included in the Orange package ($45.99 per month) and Blue package ($50.99 per month). The combined Orange & Blue option at $65.99 per month provides the most channel selection. Hulu + Live TV takes a different approach, skipping free trials but offering extra benefit at $81.99 monthly by bundling Disney Plus and ESPN Plus with live television access.
EDITOR’S Choice
series ‘The Chrisleys: Back to Reality’ with Philo
– Seven-day free trial
– 70+ channels
PREMIUM PICK
series ‘The Chrisleys: Back to Reality’ with DirecTV Stream
– Five-day free trial
– Includes local networks and 90+ channels
FLEXIBLE OPTION
series ‘The Chrisleys: Back to Reality’ with Sling TV
– Daily, weekend, and weekly passes
– 30+ channels
UPGRADE PICK
series ‘The Chrisleys: Back to Reality’ with Hulu + Live TV
– Includes free Hulu, ESPN+, and Disney+ plans
When does The Chrisleys: Back to Reality air?
The Chrisleys: Back to Reality will premiere on Monday, September 1, 2025, at 8:00 p.m. EST on Lifetime with a two-hour episode, followed by another two-hour episode on Tuesday, September 2. The remaining episodes will air on September 9 and September 16, making it a five-episode exclusive series. Episodes will also become available for on-demand viewing through Lifetime’s website and app for cable subscribers, as well as on participating streaming platforms the day after broadcast for those who prefer to series at their convenience.
What is The Chrisleys: Back to Reality about?
The Chrisleys: Back to Reality isn’t your regular reality television, as the series documents the family’s journey through federal prison sentences to presidential pardon. The series follows the Chrisley children as they navigated life with their parents behind bars, with Savannah Chrisley taking on guardianship of her younger brother Grayson and niece Chloe while simultaneously working for her parents’ freedom.
“The family faces the challenge of carrying on the Chrisley name and legacy on their own with only phone calls and brief visits with their incarcerated parents,” according to the official synopsis. “While Savannah maintains custody of her younger siblings, Chloe and Grayson, she has been fighting tirelessly for a Presidential pardon to free her parents.”
The series promises access to both the difficult and hopeful moments of the family’s ordeal. “The Chrisleys: Back to Reality exposes the raw truth of the Chrisley’s lives—past and present—and the reality is far different from what audiences have seen before,” Lifetime states. As Chase Chrisley reflects in the trailer: “We’re filming one thing that’s, like, this happy life, and then the cameras go down and we’re also fighting a fed case.”
Unlike their previous glossy reality programming, this series captures the family’s more vulnerable moments, including emotional phone calls from prison. In one moment shown in the trailer, Julie tells her family: “I live every day with the hopes that I will be reunited with my husband and my kids and my parents and my mother-in-law.” The cameras were rolling throughout Savannah’s advocacy efforts and were there to capture the reunions when Todd and Julie Chrisley were released from prison in May 2025 following Trump’s pardon.
Where was The Chrisleys: Back to Reality filmed?
The series was filmed over several months in various locations central to the Chrisley family’s story, including their Nashville home base, federal prison facilities in Florida and Kentucky, and the locations where the family lived during their parents’ incarceration. Cameras captured both private family moments and public appearances as the family navigated this unprecedented period.
The Chrisleys: Back to Reality is produced by Bunim/Murray Productions (known for Surviving R. Kelly) with executive producers Julie Pizzi, Farnaz Farjam, Jesse Daniels, Rit Saraswat, and Nicole Blais. Savannah and Chase Chrisley also serve as executive producers, while Brie Miranda Bryant and Nicole Vogel executive produce for Lifetime.
Who appears in The Chrisleys: Back to Reality?
The Chrisleys: Back to Reality features the core Chrisley family members, including Savannah Chrisley, who emerged as the family’s primary advocate and legal guardian to her younger siblings; Chase Chrisley, who tackled personal challenges and a new business venture during the ordeal; and Grayson Chrisley and Chloe Chrisley (Todd’s granddaughter whom he and Julie had custody of). The series also includes Todd’s mother “Nanny Faye” and Julie’s parents Harvey and Pam, showing the extended family support system. Todd and Julie Chrisley also appear throughout the series, both in archival footage from their prison phone calls and in new footage following their release. Todd’s estranged children from his previous relationship, Lindsie and Kyle Chrisley, do not appear in the series.
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