Chrisley family returns to reality TV with new show but experts warn of comeback risks

Fox News

3 days ago

Now that Todd and Julie Chrisley have received a full pardon from President Donald Trump, the couple's journey post-prison is set to be captured in a docuseries – and experts are weighing in on whether it's the right move for the reality TV stars.
The Lifetime network previously greenlit "The Untitled Chrisleys Project" on the family prior to Todd and Julie's release from prison. The project, which is set to premiere later this year, showcases how Savannah Chrisley, Chase Chrisley, Grayson Chrisley, Chloe Chrisley and Nanny Faye Chrisley have navigated the family hardship, as Todd and Julie were behind bars for bank fraud and tax evasion.
The reality couple were not initially expected to be included in the show since they were in prison. However, Savannah confirmed last week that fans can expect to see everything unfold on camera while she was waiting for her father outside the Pensacola, Florida, federal prison.
Savannah also shared on her podcast Tuesday that production has "started back up now that mom and dad are home" and that they are ecstatic to be making their "new start at life."
As Todd and Julie – who were found guilty in June 2022 of not only bank fraud and tax evasion but also conspiring to defraud the IRS, and sentenced to 12 and seven years, respectively – were deep in scandal, experts cautioned that "redemption is a grind" when it comes to the reality family regaining their popularity and the public's trust.
"Redemption is a grind, not a headline. If you want the crown back, start by crawling --because no celebrity gets to skip the hard part," Reputation Management Consultants CEO Eric Schiffer told Fox News Digital.
"You can't Netflix your way out of disgrace. Substance beats spectacle. A strong comeback is built on humility, not headlines. Redemption doesn't come from a camera crew but the grind when nobody's looking."
He added, "Don't try to outshine your scandal -- outwork it."
The couple were convicted of conspiring to defraud community banks out of more than $30 million in fraudulent loans as well as tax evasion; their sentences were later reduced. As another expert points out, in many ways, a celebrity's "comeback is framed by the substance of the underlying charges and conviction."
"A lot of fans balked at the substantive allegations surrounding the Chrisley's convictions, while an even larger swath of American parents related to--at least, in part--Lori Loughlin's actions on behalf of her child," Doug Eldridge, founder of Achilles PR, shared with Fox News Digital.
"Redemption is a grind, not a headline. If you want the crown back, start by crawling --because no celebrity gets to skip the hard part."
In 2019, the "Full House" star was arrested for her involvement in the college admissions scandal in 2019. One year later, Loughlin served two months in prison, completed 150 hours of community service and paid a $150,000 fine after pleading guilty to conspiracy charges stemming from making payments to William "Rick" Singer, the mastermind of the scam, to get her daughters, Isabella and Olivia Jade, into the University of Southern California.
"In cases like the Chrisley's, Loughlin, or Martha Stewart, a 'relatable conviction' doesn't absolve them from wrongdoing or somehow make it right," Eldridge told Fox News Digital.
"In each of these cases, there was a lingering sense of relatability in terms of the actions, charges, and conviction and that's incredibly important when discussing a post-conviction comeback. How they feel about you going in, will dramatically impact how they feel about you coming out."
In 2004, Stewart served time at Alderson Federal Prison Camp in West Virginia after being found guilty on charges related to insider trading.
"It's hard to overstate the importance of relatability and its causal connection to likability and eventually, marketability," Eldridge stated.
"For a case study in relatability, look no further than Meghan Markle: this is the one aspect that has eluded the 'Duchess' over the last seven years and its absence has effectively served as the prevailing winds that drove her ship into the rocks, every time she has tried to push a new venture out of port. If they can't relate to you, they'll never like you and they certainly won't invest in you," Eldridge noted.
Since Markle and Prince Harry's royal exit in 2020, the Duchess of Sussex launched her new lifestyle brand, As Ever, in April. She additionally launched a lifestyle Netflix show in March titled, "With Love, Meghan."
Meanwhile, a Hollywood actor who appeared to have played his cards right is Tim Allen, according to experts.
"Tim Allen didn't hide from his past; he joked about it and moved forward -- authenticity wins," Schiffer remarked.
The "Home Improvement" star was arrested in 1978 at the Kalamazoo/Battle Creek International Airport in Michigan while carrying over a pound of cocaine.
He later pleaded guilty to drug trafficking charges and, at 23, spent two years and four months in federal prison.
Although he wasn't expecting such a long sentence, Allen said on a podcast that he "wanted to be able to come out with something."
"I just shut up and did what I was told," he recalled. "It was the first time ever I did what I was told and played the game... I learned literally how to live day by day. And I learned how to shut up. You definitely want to learn how to shut up."
In a press release about the Chrisleys' docuseries, it stated that "[i]n the new series, the Chrisleys don't know best anymore, but they're doing their best to be there for each other."
Todd and Julie's children, along with other family members, faced the challenges of "carrying on the Chrisley name and legacy on their own with only phone calls and brief visits with their incarcerated parents," the release, obtained by Fox News Digital last month, added.
Despite their decision to televise their post-prison release, expert Schiffer advised that, "Redemption is earned in silence, not syndication."
Meanwhile, based on past celebrity cases, Eldridge noted that a comeback for the Chrisleys will be based on "the formula" that "will always be the same: relatability determines likability, which drives marketability."