Chrisley Knows Best
Chrisley Knows Best is an American reality television series airing on the USA Network. It centers around the lives of Georgia real estate tycoon Todd Chrisley and his wealthy Christian family. The show formerly took place in Roswell and Alpharetta, both near Atlanta, before moving primarily to Nashville, Tennessee during the fourth season. An eighth season premiered in July 2020. A spin-off focusing on Chase and Savannah Chrisley, called Growing Up Chrisley, premiered on April 2, 2019.
Cast
- Michael Todd Chrisley, who goes by the name Todd, is a real-estate tycoon who is considered by his family to be controlling, easily irritated, and often unreasonable. Todd is a germophobe and tries to avoid things like dirt and animals. Todd was previously married to his high school girlfriend Teresa Terry, before marrying Julie in 1996. He had two children with Teresa and three children with Julie. Todd said he has embraced longtime, false rumors that he is gay: "I'm flattered that people think I can get laid on both ends. So, that doesn't bother me. And my wife certainly is flattered that as many men want her husband as there are women." In 2019, Todd and Julie pleaded not guilty after being indicted by a federal grand jury in Atlanta on charges of conspiracy, bank fraud, wire fraud and tax evasion.
- Julie Chrisley, Todd's wife who enjoys cooking and eating. Todd is Julie's second husband, after an earlier marriage to her high school boyfriend. She has three children with Todd: Chase, Savannah, and Grayson.
- Kyle Chrisley, Todd's oldest son with ex-wife Teresa Terry and Chloe's father. He is a former addict with bipolar disorder. He appeared in the first season before getting involved in drugs again, and has only been mentioned once since then, in the second season. He announced in 2019 that he is sober again.
- Lindsie Chrisley Campbell, Todd's oldest daughter with ex-wife Teresa Terry. Lindsie married Will Campbell in 2012, without getting her father's approval, although he eventually forgave Will. Lindsie and Will briefly separated in 2014, before reconciling. They ultimately grew apart and filed for divorce in 2016, although she hoped they could remain friends. They later reconciled again and withdrew the divorce filing. They are the parents of a son named Jackson. Lindsie made her final appearance in season 5. Since then, she and other members of the Chrisley family have made various allegations against one another. According to her attorney, "Lindsie has been a constant target of lies, harassment and threats from her family and as a result, has been distancing herself from the Chrisley family since 2017."
- Chase Chrisley, Todd and Julie's oldest son who is sometimes depicted engaging in get-rich quick schemes. His friends Parker, Elliott, and Ronndell make occasional appearances on the show.
- Savannah Chrisley, Todd and Julie's oldest daughter who was once a beauty pageant competitor.
- Grayson Chrisley, Todd and Julie's youngest son.
- Chloe Chrisley, Kyle's young daughter who is being raised by her grandparents Todd and Julie due to Kyle's issues with substance abuse.
- Faye Chrisley, Todd's mother who enjoys gambling and drinking. She is annoyed by Todd's frequent interference with her plans, which he does in an effort to protect her and keep her out of trouble. Her grandchildren refer to her by the nickname "Nanny". Chase refers to her as "Mo".
Production
On April 14, 2014, the USA Network ordered a 12-episode second season of Chrisley Knows Best. At the time, the series garnered more young viewers than any other original program on USA Network, with a median age of 36.5 years among viewers. On October 20, 2014, the series was renewed for a 12-episode third season. On February 5, 2015, the episode order was increased by six episodes for a total of 18 for season 3. In April 2016, USA ordered an additional eight episodes for season 4, for a total of 20 episodes. On July 7, 2016, USA renewed the show for a fifth season and announced that the second half of season 4 would premiere in August. In August 2017, USA ordered a sixth season and also added 18 episodes to the fifth season. The series aired its 100th episode in June 2018. On October 30, 2018 the series was renewed for a seventh season.
On August 13, 2019, Todd and Julie Chrisley were indicted on multiple counts of conspiracy to commit bank fraud, bank fraud, wire fraud conspiracy, wire fraud, conspiracy to defraud the United States and tax evasion. They turned themselves in on August 14 and were later released on a $100,000 bond. Despite the charges, the series was renewed for an eighth season, which premiered on July 9, 2020.
Episodes
Broadcast and streaming
Chrisley Knows Best is broadcast on USA Network in the United States. In the UK, it airs on ITVBe. Chrisley Knows Best reruns can be seen on E!, USA Network, Bravo, and video on demand.In Australia, New Zealand, Canada and Ireland the first two seasons can be streamed on Netflix. In the United States all seasons of Chrisley Knows Best can be streamed on Hulu + Live TV and on NBC's Streaming service called Peacock for free.
Reception
Chrisley Knows Best received "mixed or average" reviews according to Metacritic, based on five reviews from the first two seasons. Tom Gliatto and Liza Hamm of People gave a positive review, saying "This is the best 'family' reality series since Here Comes Honey Boo Boo or even The Osbournes from several centuries ago." Hillary Busis of Entertainment Weekly gave a mixed review, saying "If you can get past the canned lines and sub-sitcom storylines, the Chrisley crew can be fun".Brian Lowry of Variety gave a mixed review, saying "As intriguing in the details as it is uncomfortable to watch, 'Chrisley Knows Best,' a self-consciously sitcom-like reality show, initially seems to be just another knock-off designed to cash in on the 'Duck Dynasty' demo. Cut through the deep-fried window dressing, though, and this USA series is almost entirely devoted to its subtext, intended to elicit sniggering regarding that which goes unsaid about the show's wealthy father of five, whom his son-in-law understatedly dubs 'flamboyant.' Played as epic farce, the skein should have a disparate range of appeal, but let's hope the Chrisleys don't mind being laughed at, not with." In his review of the second season, Lowry described it as "a throwback that recycles old sitcom plots, under the guise of an unscripted series," further stating that the first two episodes "drive home just how set up every conceivable beat of 'Chrisley' is, concocting situations" to provide Todd Chrisley with "opportunities to roll his eyes and assert his authority."
From 2015 to 2017, the series won the NATPE's Reality Breakthrough award for best docusoap. In 2016, it was nominated at the 22nd Critics' Choice Awards for "Best Unstructured Reality Series", but lost to .
Spin-offs
In 2015, Todd Chrisley was busy developing a talk-show spin-off with USA Network. Chrisley also mentioned early plans for another spin-off that would focus on Chase and Savannah Chrisley.''According to Chrisley''
In August 2017, it was announced that USA Network had ordered a half-hour after show entitled According to Chrisley. According to Chrisley is hosted by Todd Chrisley and features Chrisley "tackling the truth about marriage, parenting, sex and relationships." Each episode also features a member of the Chrisley family, as well as a celebrity guest. The show premiered on September 12, 2017. It was cancelled after one season due to poor ratings.''What's Cooking With Julie Chrisley''
On October 3, 2017, USA Network's website launched What's Cooking With Julie Chrisley, a 10-episode web series in which Julie shares her favorite recipes.''Growing Up Chrisley''
In January 2019, it was announced that Chase and Savannah Chrisley were getting their own spin-off entitled Growing Up Chrisley. The show will follow Chase and Savannah as they "embark on a road trip from Nashville to Los Angeles to prove their independence." The show premiered on April 2, 2019 on USA Network.The second season premiered on August 6, 2019.