Todd Chrisley Almost Turned Down ‘Chrisley Knows Best’ Reality Show
Chrisley Knows Best ran from March 2014 to March 2023 and became one of the most popular series on the USA Network, but for Todd Chrisley, the show almost never happened.
According to Todd’s daughter, Savannah Chrisley, her dad had reservations about putting his family under that kind of scrutiny. Initially, she revealed, Todd turned down the opportunity for a reality show focused on his life.
Appearing on the latest episode of The Adversity Advantage Podcast, Savannah said, “My oldest half-brother [Kyle Chrisley] from my dad’s first marriage, he struggles with, you know, mental health, drugs, you know, all of it. And my dad was like, I’m not putting that on TV for everyone to see.”
She went on to talk about the pressure of growing up in the “South” and people expecting to see this “perfect” family, all of which gave her father pause about putting his family under the spotlight. However, after rejecting the idea several times, Todd finally agreed, and the family put together a “sizzle reel.”
Savannah revealed that “nine out of the ten networks [we approached] wanted to take the show straight to series,” including Oprah Winfrey‘s OWN network.
The show ultimately ended up on the USA Network, where it ran for nine years and even led to a spin-off series, Growing Up Chrisley, which revolved around Savannah and her older brother, Chase Chrisley.
Both Chrisley Knows Best and Growing Up Chrisley were quietly put on hiatus amid the family’s legal troubles. Todd and his wife Julie Chrisley were found guilty of bank and tax fraud in 2022 and sentenced to a combined 19 years in federal, though the sentences were reduced last year.
Todd is currently serving a 10-year sentence at FPC Pensacola in Florida, where he has made frequent complaints about the conditions and alleged mistreatment of the inmates. Meanwhile, Julie is serving her five-year sentence at FMC Lexington in Kentucky.
The locked-up couple are currently awaiting their appeal hearing, which was recently pushed back to April 2024.
USA Network started airing the tenth season of Chrisley Knows Best at a late-night slot in November 2022, with the last episode airing on March 27, 2023.
However, Savannah revealed last year that the family is working on a new project focusing on the Chrisley children.
“You are going to see how we’re navigating as a family through having two parents that are incarcerated,” she said on her Unlocked podcast. “You’re gonna see how my grandparents are dealing with things, how Chase and I are dealing with things… You’re going to see literally every single aspect and there is no holding back.”
