The Reward of Hard Efforts: A Look at Season 5 of “Trying”
According to CinemaDrame News Agency, after four seasons of portraying the trials and tribulations of building a family, the new season of Apple TV+’s hit comedy “Trying”, created by Andy Wolton, finally allows its main characters, Jason (played by Rafe Spall) and Nikki (played by Esther Smith), to enjoy their time together—and lets the audience share in that sweet feeling.
Although “Trying” isn’t merely a romantic comedy and leans more toward a family sitcom, it has put this couple through pivotal challenges over the past four seasons. In the first season, Jason and Nikki faced a fertility crisis and the struggle to get approved for adoption. Season two saw them competing to adopt children; season three had them grappling with courts, adoption agencies, and even the threat of losing their home; and finally, season four featured a six-year time jump that brought the challenge of their adoptive child’s biological mother entering the picture.
Nevertheless, creator and lead writer Andy Wolton has always kept the couple’s strong, steadfast relationship as their anchor against all odds. It is precisely this mutual trust that makes their difficult life journey charming and believable to the audience.
Season five can be seen as the reward for a decade of tough parenting choices. This season, narrative pressures are significantly scaled back; Nikki’s anxieties about the presence of Kat (played by Charlotte Riley), Princess’s biological mother, are resolved in the early episodes, and Jason’s nervousness about returning to university in his nineties—studying social work at age forty—creates a warm, comedic atmosphere rather than dynamic tension.
While minor crises still arise, season five represents a golden era in their family life: a brief window where everything seems to go right, connection with the children is solid, and the parents manage to maintain their personal lives. After six years with this family, the show captures the joy of life’s small moments without relying on artificial drama.
In an era when few comedy series reach a fifth season, “Trying” maintains its quality, giving Jason and Nikki the chance to truly enjoy their family in its new season—an experience the audience gets to share right along with them.
