‘Trying’ Put in the Work — and Season 5 Reaps the Rewards

After four seasons highlighting the hardships of starting a family, the new episodes of Andy Wolton's Apple TV sitcom sees Jason (Rafe Spall) and Nikki (Esther Smith) savoring their time together — and lets viewers do the same.

Whenever a romantic comedy reaches the central couple’s big falling-out, my wife shoots me a look. She knows what I’m thinking. Sometimes, she’ll even pass me an imaginary microphone so I can say it loud enough for everyone in the theater to hear: “I hate it when they fight.”

I don’t remember when the bit began, in part because it’s always been true. I hate it when the couple we’ve been rooting for the entire movie suddenly can’t communicate properly, or struggle to overcome a secret’s sudden revelation, or breaks up for some dumb reason just so they can get back together in time for the happy ending. Who doesn’t? And yes, I know the big fight is a necessary part of a rom-com’s arc. Tension, conflict, catharsis, yada, yada, yada — I get it. But if you’re going to do it, you better do it right, and too many rom-coms do it wrong.

“Trying” isn’t solely a rom-com — it’s closer to a family sitcom — but over four seasons, it’s provided plenty of relationship-altering challenges for its central couple. Jason (Rafe Spall) and Nikki (Esther Smith) first struggled to conceive, before pivoting to adoption in the series premiere. The whole first season covers trying to earn an adoption panel’s approval just so they’re eligible to become parents. In Season 2, they compete with other couples for not one, but two children in need, and in Season 3, they have to win over a disapproving grandmother, the courts, and the adoption agency, all while holding onto their home (which is put up for sale). Then, after a six-year time jump, Season 4 introduces their daughter’s birth mother.

Phew! Just recapping their parenting journey stresses me out, and I didn’t even mention the strain each undertaking puts on their marriage. Jason and Nikki have many a hard conversation as they change careers and even get married to become better caretakers for Princess (Scarlett Rayner) and Tyler (Cooper Turner). There is tension. There is conflict. Their partnership is tested.

And yet, that’s not what you feel while watching “Trying.” Creator and head writer Andy Wolton is honest about those hardships, and there are moments when you’re desperate for Jason and Nikki to get back on the same page. But their rock-solid relationship is what helps them overcome their inordinate obstacles. Trusting each other is as essential to forming the family they want as it is for viewers to go along for the ride. The road is hard. We need confidence in our drivers.

That’s part of what makes Season 5 so enjoyable. Don’t get me wrong: “Trying” has always been a bit of a magic trick: an honest depiction of a difficult process that never feels arduous or taxing on the audience. It’s sweet. It’s nice. It’s a joyful experience, each and every time out.

But in Season 5, Wolton takes the pressure off. Nikki’s anxiety over the emergence of Princess’ birth mother, Kat (Charlotte Riley), is all but wrapped up in the first episode. Jason’s nerves over going back to school (to be a social worker) in his 40s is played more for laughs and camaraderie than embarrassment or temptation. Even their brother-in-law Scott (Darren Boyd), who decided to row the Atlantic Ocean at the end of Season 4, isn’t a source of constant concern.

There are minor crises, sure (like, say, Nikki’s attractive new coworker), but “Trying” Season 5 feels like the hard-won reward after a decade of arduous parenting decisions. You could call it the denouement, especially if it turns out to be the final season. (Apple hasn’t announced anything yet, but it certainly feels like the end is nigh.) But it’s better served, at least for now, as honoring another stage in parenting: the good times. Those precious few months or years where it seems like things are working out. You can talk to your kids, and they’ll listen. You can spend time with them, and they won’t run away. You feel connected to their daily lives, and you still have a life of your own.

Maybe that’s a fantasy — I should admit now that I don’t have kids — but it’s a fantasy “Trying” earns, at least for a season. After six years spent with this slowly forming family, emphasizing the luck and effort and energy required to get here, there’s no reason to manufacture extra drama now; not when the little moments mean so much and savoring them feels so gratifying. These days, too few sitcoms get to run for even five seasons, and even fewer do so without losing a step.

So why not bask in it? Appreciate it. Learn from the good times as much as the bad. Season 5 lets Jason and Nikki enjoy their family, so we can, too.

We’re with them, all the way — no big fight required.

Grade: B

“Trying” premieres Wednesday, July 8 on Apple TV. New episodes will be released weekly through the finale on August 26.