'Trying' Season 5 with Esther Smith, Rafe Spall nails a parenting dilemma few shows dare to explore

July 23, 2026 - 17:00

The Apple TV series Trying has returned for a fifth season, and it continues to stand out as a sharp, heartfelt family dramedy. Starring Esther Smith and Rafe Spall as Nikki and Jason, the show has always focused on the messy, often hilarious road to becoming parents. But this new season digs into a specific challenge that most television shows avoid entirely: the pressure of raising older children while still figuring out your own identity.

In previous seasons, the couple navigated the grueling adoption process, the chaos of fostering, and the terror of first-time parenting. Now, their kids are growing up, and the dilemmas have shifted. The show explores the quiet panic of not being the "cool" parent anymore, the guilt of needing personal time, and the strange loneliness that can settle in when your children start to pull away. Smith and Spall bring a raw, uncomfortable honesty to these moments, balancing the comedy of awkward school events with the real ache of watching your kids become independent.

What makes Trying special is its refusal to sugarcoat. It does not pretend that parenting solves all problems. Instead, it shows Nikki and Jason fumbling through, making mistakes, and still choosing each other. The fifth season feels like a natural, mature evolution for a series that has always been more interested in truth than in tidy happy endings. It is a rare show that understands the hardest part of parenting is not the sleepless nights with a baby, but the quiet mornings when you realize your child does not need you as much anymore.