The Big Picture

Apple TV+’s
Trying
is the streamer’s most underrated gem, consistently delivering poignant comedy and heartfelt performances.
Season 4 tests parental skills in an emotionally charged narrative filled with surprises and a potential fifth-season setup.
The chemistry between leads Esther Smith and Rafe Spall adds depth to their characters.

From feel-good shows like Ted Lasso to Best Picture winner CODA, Apple TV+ has cranked out some of the highest-quality writing and production compared to its competitors. But while the service is brimming with shiny awards for its catalog boasting high-profile stars and filmmakers, Trying remains the platform’s greatest, most underrated series. With the Rafe Spall and Esther Smith-starring comedy now in its fourth season, the British dramedy by Andy Wolton continues to prove it’s Apple TV+’s most reliable, feel-good show, consistently delivering strong, poignant comedy and absorbing performances that highlight the honest realities of parenthood.

It might not be a show you’ve ever heard of, but Trying still deserves your attention. Through dysfunctional friends and a screwball family, the show has a refreshing and comedic sensibility that bears reminders of Max’s Starstruck or even FX’s Breeders. Following its premiere during the height of the pandemic, Trying initially set itself apart as a lighthearted and wholesome series about powering through the most “trying” moments of adult life. But Season 3 dug its heels into creating the perfect balance between comedy and drama, only for Season 4 to sharply elevate that distinct weightiness into a genuinely endearing series that is here to stay.

Trying In a heartfelt comedy series, a London-based couple faces the realities of trying to adopt after failing to conceive. The show captures their emotional and often humorous encounters with the bureaucratic adoption system, their relationships with each other, and their interactions with potential children.Release Date May 1, 2020 Main Genre Comedy Seasons 4 Creator(s) Andy Wolton

‘Trying’ Season 4 Naturally Introduces More Drama
One of the best things about Trying is how it tackles each season with an honest, realistic look at adulthood. In Season 1, our endearing main squeezes, Nikki and Jason, played respectively by the indelible Smith and Spall, initially grapple with infertility issues before shifting their focus in Season 2 to adoption. This narrative variety throughout the seasons has been a strong point of interest for creating organic, smartly-paced plots with enriched relationship development. Enter Season 3, and the couple are finally parents, but not without some drama that finds their newly adopted children at the center of a legal battle with their grandmother, Bev (Claire Higgins). But that’s where Wolton manages to really up the series’ stakes, as Season 4 presents a few surprises across its eight episodes, including a shocking cliffhanger that sets up a potential, nail-biting fifth season.

Related This Is Actually the Best Show on Apple TV+, Not ‘Ted Lasso’ Created by Andy Wolton, this terrific British comedy has run for just as many seasons — with a fourth on the way.

After this “happily ever after” shake-up, the show fast-forwards six years and opens with a funeral. While the Season 4 premiere, “The Send Off,” includes a cold open that will leave viewers on edge for a few moments, it turns out to have an even heftier sticking point that permeates throughout the season. Having built a lovely nuclear unit with the support of their family members, Nikki and Jason are now experienced adopters. But as they navigate parenthood, with the series continuing its tight focus on the duo, there is a newly established exteriority in how they approach childrearing.

As Jason helps his son Tyler (Cooper Turner) try to fit in and works all season toward this goal, the couple’s now-teenage daughter, Princess (Scarlett Rayner), yearns for a connection with her birth mother, Kat (Charlotte Riley). It’s genuinely frightening for the insecure Nikki, who has often gone above and beyond to make herself known to those she loves. That aspect of her character doesn’t change this season, either, as she goes outside her comfort zone to understand how the children she loves so much were given up. While Smith and Spall are magnetic and a striking pair, Season 4 marks an opportunity for Smith to demonstrate her verve as an actor, as Nikki’s trajectory explores the realities of life outside Camden through a lesson that tackles the truth in how “trying” doesn’t always work out.

Esther Smith and Rafe Spall Are the Heart of ‘Trying’

One of the most delightfully exciting things about Trying has always been the chemistry between its leads, Smith and Spall. While the show mixes heavy drama with lighthearted humor, none of it works without them. Since the start, Smith and Spall have had the most charming, enigmatic rapport that makes you root for their on-screen counterparts. This deeply authentic connection enhances Nikki and Jason’s believability as a couple and offers genuine balance to the show. Whereas Smith’s Nikki is warm and optimistic with the occasional quirk, Spall’s Jason is more reserved, pragmatic, and occasionally neurotic. It’s this contrast that effectively allows the actors to play off each other’s strengths and vulnerabilities for performances that bring out an admired sophistication.

Watching Smith offers a real understanding of how much heart she puts into Nikki. As a warm and nurturing character, she was initially defined by her desire to start a family all those years ago; now, her attempts in Season 4 to keep it bring out another layer of this beloved character. Thanks to Smith’s masterful expressions and body language to convey Nikki’s anxieties and worries, we understand the character’s core struggles — and feel for her. Beneath her sunny exterior, Nikki feels powerless, often experiencing all-too-relatable doubt and fear. Even as she attempts to toughen up, we know she’s trembling inside and Smith, most potently, communicates that by captivating the audience with a modest, yet focused performance.

Spall also burns bright in the role of Jason, but at a different level. The actor has had a long career in film, television, and stag, in part thanks to his chameleonic qualities, but his grounded performance in Trying feels truly genuine. Jason is the voice of reason for Nikki, but Spall’s knack for comedy balances his co-star’s skills. It’s one of his best qualities in creating an unassuming character with compelling levity through comic relief. This season, we see another layer peel back as Jason grapples with fatherhood. As Spall conveys Jason’s inner conflicts with subtlety and nuance, his signature expressions and gestures create a suave depth, sometimes without even relying on dialogue. The actor’s attention to detail offers realistic roots to Jason, giving us more reason to love him.

‘Trying’ Season 4 Is Still a Hilarious Half-Hour Watch

As incredibly complementary personalities, Smith and Spall’s ability to land jokes and play off each other’s reactions adds an irresistibly fun tone and pacing to the show. But it’s also a big part of Trying’s overall appeal, thanks to Wolton. To create a series that is grounded in the everyday struggles that accompany adulthood, the showrunner places the audience in a position where they often smile through their tears. With charm and chemistry that never feels forced, Trying is a sweet half-hour that is genuinely fun to watch because of its realism. Wolton, who was adopted as a young child, gently uses the show to write about the difficulties that come with adoption. But with the experience strongly centered around the threat of loss versus cautious optimism, a subtle sadness finds its balance through pointed humor to tell the overall story.

Trying’s sweetest moments often come from its leads, but the ensemble cast’s overall brilliance also keeps you hooked. Each member is so distinct and unique that it becomes an absorbing tableau for situational comedy. The best scenes are often found through Nikki’s interactions with her equally neurotic sister, Karen (Siân Brooke)’ Jason’s conversations with his father, Victor (Phil Ross), who is trying the dating scene while completely oblivious; or everyone spending time with the lovable yet pretentious know-it-all, Scott (Darren Boyd). Even the children add something special to the show this season, particularly Rayner. Although the supporting characters truly fit the show’s charisma and elevate every scene , the moments between Karen and Scott spark an ambitious shift between the strained couple. Moreover, their young daughter, Stevie (Matilda Flower), keeps them afloat — perhaps more so for Scott, who is at a crossroads. The two actors bring soft comic relief to heavier situations but manage to hold their own for the show.

With Season 4 finally hitting Apple TV+ after a two-year break, Trying’s pointed writing and winsome ensemble are an instant reminder of why this series is so addictive. By way of its six-year time jump, the show ambitiously alters its plots without ever losing steam. As it continues the trend of “feel-good” TV, its eight episodes colorfully set up a late-stage twist previously unseen by the end of the season. It’ll have viewers sticking around and wondering what’s ahead for a show that deserves more attention as one of Apple TV+’s best.

Trying REVIEWTrying returns with a fourth season that only proves why it’s one of Apple TV+’s best shows.ProsTrying Season 4 injects a revitalized energy into the series through an ambitious yet organic plot shift.Esther Smith and Rafe Spall are a dynamic duo that offer enthralling and striking performances as a deeply loving couple.Season 4 explores adoption with nuanced complexity through sharp plots and writing as well as captivating comedy.

Trying Season 4 premieres May 22 on Apple TV+ with a two-episode drop, followed by weekly episodes every Wednesday.

Watch on Apple TV+