There is no doubt that Todd Chrisley is a success. The real estate mogul boasts a 30,000 square foot Atlanta mansion, admits to spending $300,000 annually on clothes, and is spending millions to open a luxe department and lifestyle store that mirrors his high-end taste. USA’s new reality series Chrisley Knows Best premieres Tuesday, March 11 at 10pmET and follows Chrisley as he rules his family as a “Patriarch of Perfection.” He micromanages his family by choosing their clothes and approving (but mostly denying) social outings. He also tracks the movement of their luxury cars, their computer usage, and even their texts — which borders on creepy. Todd insists “it’s Todd’s way or the highway, because at the end of the day, he who has the gold, rules. I have the gold, they don’t.”
The Chrisley home is impeccable, wife Julie is stunning, and their children are obedient, well bred and charmingly entitled. My life is nothing like the Chrisley’s, but Todd is confident that viewers will be able to relate. “I love my business, but I place nothing above my wife and children,” he says. “I make millions of dollars a year, but we still have the same issues that parents who are making $40,000 a year have.”
I am not sure how much common ground most TV viewers will find with the Chrisley family, but Chrisley Knows Best is transfixing and amazingly watchable. Todd is entertaining and he speaks almost entirely in sound bytes; nearly everything he says could be stamped on a snarky bumper sticker. Maybe he could sell those in his department store, or are bumper stickers too gauche? And it’s obvious that the Chrisleys are a close, affectionate and loving family, I can’t believe how little yelling the family does at each other! That is definitely a rarity on reality TV.
It is almost worth watching the show just to gawk at Chrisley family’s insane house. It is decorated like an entire year’s worth of Southern Accents Magazine. Really, there are acres of throw pillows and miles of drool-worthy draperies. And so much toile and monogramming! And when you see Todd’s closet, you may weep at its sheer organization.
What do you think? Will you watch Chrisley Knows Best?
Chrisley Knows Best premieres Tuesday, March 11 at 10pmET on USA