How to Watch The Chrisleys: Back to Reality Live for Free to See the Family’s Life After Prison

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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 watch The Chrisleys: Back to Reality live for free with the right approach.

How to Watch The Chrisleys: Back to Reality at a Glance

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 watch the entire thing without paying for cable.

How to Watch 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 watch the channel without any upfront costs. Philo is our top 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 value at $81.99 monthly by bundling Disney Plus and ESPN Plus with live television access.

EDITOR’S Choice

Watch ‘The Chrisleys: Back to Reality’ with Philo

– Seven-day free trial
– 70+ channels

Philo offers a seven-day free trial before transitioning to $28 monthly, making it one of the most budget-friendly live TV streaming options available. The service includes over 70 channels, featuring Lifetime along with popular networks like A&E, Discovery, HGTV, and Food Network. Philo also provides unlimited cloud DVR storage, access to over 75,000 on-demand movies and shows, and allows streaming on up to three devices simultaneously, making it an excellent value for anyone wanting to watch The Chrisleys: Back to Reality on Lifetime without breaking the bank.

PREMIUM PICK

Watch ‘The Chrisleys: Back to Reality’ with DirecTV Stream

– Five-day free trial
– Includes local networks and 90+ channels

DirecTV Stream offers a five-day free trial and four plans: Entertainment, which comes with 90+ channels and costs $84.99 per month; Choice, which comes with 125+ channels and costs $89.99 per month; Ultimate, which comes with 160+ channels and costs $84.99 per month; and Premier, which comes with 185+ channels and costs $124.99 per month. Viewers can stream The Chrisleys: Back to Reality on Lifetime, which is included in all four plans. All plans also include local networks where available and unlimited Cloud DVR recording. DirecTV Stream also offers a current deal where users can receive between $30 and $40 off their first month and $5 to $20 off any following months if they subscribe to a 24-month plan.

FLEXIBLE OPTION

Watch ‘The Chrisleys: Back to Reality’ with Sling TV

– Daily, weekend, and weekly passes
– 30+ channels

Sling TV offers flexible viewing with multiple plan options that include Lifetime. The Sling Orange package costs $45.99 per month with 30+ channels and allows streaming on one device at a time, while Sling Blue costs $50.99 per month with 40+ channels and lets you watch on up to three devices simultaneously. Viewers can watch The Chrisleys: Back to Reality on Lifetime with either the Orange or Blue plans. For maximum value, Sling Orange & Blue combines both packages for $65.99 per month and includes over 50 channels with streaming on up to four devices at once. Additionally, Sling now offers short-term options like a Day Pass for $4.99, Weekend Pass for $9.99, and Week Pass for $14.99 for viewers who only want temporary access.

UPGRADE PICK

Watch ‘The Chrisleys: Back to Reality’ with Hulu + Live TV

– Includes free Hulu, ESPN+, and Disney+ plans

Hulu + Live TV offers four plans. The cheapest plan, Live TV Only, costs $81.99 per month and comes with access to Hulu’s live TV content. The next cheapest plan costs $1 more at $82.99 per month and comes with Hulu’s live TV content, as well as access to Hulu’s streaming library with ads, Disney+ with ads, and ESPN+ with ads. For Disney+ with no ads, users can subscribe for $87.99 per month. And for Hulu and Disney+ with no ads, the price is $95.99 per month. Viewers can stream The Chrisleys: Back to Reality on Lifetime, which is available on all Hulu + Live TV 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 limited 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 watch 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.