Todd and Julie Chrisley’s Charleston Move Shakes Up ’Southern Charm’s Lowcountry Reign

After receiving their presidential pardons in May 2025, Chrisley Knows Best couple, Todd and Julie Chrisley, are eager to put the past behind them. The two were formerly serving time behind bars following convictions of tax evasion and bank fraud worth millions of dollars.

Now that they are walking free, though, the Chrisleys just want a fresh start. This led to the couple announcing their plans to relocate from Nashville to Charleston, South Carolina. However, not everyone is ready to welcome them with open arms.

Todd and Julie Chrisley Are Eager To Return to TV

Following their release, Todd and Julie sat down for an ABC News Studios special, which premiered on June 29, 2025. After talking about their struggles with the legal system, the real estate entrepreneur revealed his and Julie’s plan to return to their roots.

Since both reality stars are originally from South Carolina, it makes sense for them to go back to that kind of familiarity and build their career all over again from the place they have always called home. Not to mention, Todd and Julie have a pretty clear vision of what they want to do. According to the entrepreneur, they plan on purchasing a historic mansion and transforming it into a boutique hotel while documenting the entire process.

The high-stakes design challenge could be the perfect kind of spectacle that helps the Chrisleys re-enter the reality world and break away from the negative press that has surrounded them since the sentencing.

For a family that has always thrived on turning their personal lives into dramatic TV moments, the idea of this South-Carolina-based show feels like a natural evolution. If it lands, the show can also transition to something bigger, as the reality stars start running the hotel and turn it into their next big venture. Given all this, Todd and Julie seem to have set the perfect stage for their comeback.

The Chrisleys’ Upcoming Reality Show Has Rubbed Patricia Altschul the Wrong Way

At the same time, though, The Chrisleys represent the exact opposite of what the city’s most iconic reality TV export, Southern Charm. Set in Charleston, the Bravo show follows the lives of some of the wealthiest socialites in the area, most of whom come from old money and Southern aristocracy.

Since its premiere in 2014, Southern Charm has portrayed Charleston as the home of polo matches and social hierarchies. In comparison, the Chrisleys have always been a little louder and far less filtered. Chrisley Knows Best showcased the reality family in its true dysfunctional glory, with over-the-top arguments and flashy fashion.

This contrast could be why Southern Charm star Patricia Altschul is not looking forward to living near the Chrisleys or competing with them for ratings. In a now-deleted Instagram post from Bravo and Cocktails about the Chrisleys’ big move, Altschul took to the comments to write: “There goes the neighbourhood.” The reality star, who has been part of Southern Charm since Season 1, made it clear that she will not be welcoming the Chrisleys to town, especially not with all the baggage they are bringing with them.

The Chrisleys’ Return to Reality TV Was Inevitable After Their Scandal

The Charleston-based show isn’t all, because the Chrisleys are currently also working on an upcoming Lifetime docuseries. In fact, as reported by PEOPLE, during a May 30 press conference, Todd shared that the cameras began documenting his family’s lives as soon as he and Julie got home from prison.

The reality star shared that the show will dive into what the couple and their children went through after the tax scandal came to light and everything that happened in its aftermath. While Todd and Chrisley are looking for a new beginning with their move to South Carolina, it’s not really an attempt to dodge the media.

With their Lifetime series, the couple is leaning into the chaos. It’s almost like they are attempting to use the attention from their prison journey and direct it toward their new ventures.

This goes to show that the Chrisleys have always embraced their messiness instead of pretending like their lives are perfect. In the beginning, this brand was specific to their reality show and podcasts, but now, they seem to be applying that same formula to what they have gone through. This kind of shameless transparency is really on-brand for this chaotic reality family, and the truth is, they probably don’t care what people have to say about it.

The Chrisleys are set to return to TV with a new Lifetime series currently named The Untitled Chrisleys Project. A premiere date has not been announced yet.