Apple TV's popular series Trying is back for its fifth season, with real-life couple Esther Smith and Rafe Spall reprising their roles as Nikki and Jason, a family navigating the ups and downs of adoption.
The show, which has been praised for its representation of unconventional family set-ups, has been a source of comfort and inspiration for audiences around the world.
Esther and Rafe, who have been playing the roles of Nikki and Jason for six years, have seen the impact the show has had on viewers, with many sharing their own stories of infertility, adoption, and non-traditional family structures.
"It feels like a privilege in itself for someone to tell a complete stranger, i.e. me, stuff that they're going through, or have gone through, or how it might relate to them," Esther says. "It always puts a bit of a spring in my step."
Rafe credits the show's creator, Andy Wolton, for bringing the story to life, and for taking a chance on a show that explores the complexities of adoption and family dynamics.
"It was one of the first things that she commissioned, and you know, it's very rare this day and age that British comedy goes this long," Rafe says of the show's longevity.
In the new season, Nikki and Jason's children, Princess and Tyler, are entering the tumultuous world of adolescence, with all the challenges that come with it.
As they navigate first loves, sneaking out to parties, and rollercoasters, the family is shaken when Princess and Tyler's biological mother, Kat, returns to their lives, forcing them to confront what family means and how they show up for each other.
This season promises to be just as dramatic and heartwarming as the last, with a new plotline featuring Nikki's co-worker crush Kerry, played by Colin Morgan, and a juicy new plot twist involving mice.
For Esther and Rafe, who have become a real-life couple and share a young child, playing Nikki and Jason has been a journey of growth and self-discovery.
"In a way, both Nikki and I, we've grown together, and we've both – in this journey – become mothers in our different ways," Esther says.
Trying season five premieres on Apple TV on July 8, with episodes releasing weekly.
