Despite being one of the most underrated shows on Apple TV, Trying seemed to have a limited run. When the show begins, a couple named Nikki (Esther Smith) and Jason (Rafe Spall) embark on an adoption journey, as they hope to become parents despite the obstacles in their way. This is not an easy process, and they face several ups and downs in their effort to adopt young siblings Princess (Eden Togwell) and Tyler (Mickey McAnulty).
In Season 3, Nikki and Jason finalize their adoption, but Trying continues the story, moving on from the original plot and jumping ahead six years in Season 4 to a daunting period when Princess (Scarlett Rayner) and Tyler (Cooper Turner) are entering their teenage years. The time jump reframes the show’s title to be less about Nikki and Jason’s attempt to grow their family and more about the fact that they are simply doing their best. Ultimately, Trying‘s time jump completely changed the show for the better, providing new opportunities that have kept the story alive, especially with a fifth season on the way.
‘Trying’s Time Jump Provides New Opportunities for the Show
A six-year time jump seems like a big move, but it allows Trying to enter a new era of its characters’ lives and explore how they have grown, both in and outside the family unit. The Apple TV sitcom embraces chaos as the messy characters make questionable choices, and jumping forward in their lives introduces the potential for new drama. This is most prevalent in Princess’s story, as she emerges with a focus on finding answers from her birth mother, Kat (Charlotte Riley). Now 16, Princess is mature enough to be asking questions she could never have understood at 10, giving her new storyline an emotional undercurrent that Trying handles so well.
Princess’s age is only one way the show benefits from the time jump, as her time with Nikki makes the search less jarring. Throughout Season 4, mother and daughter struggle to see eye to eye, but the fact that they have an established bond prevents Princess’s desire to find her birth mother from undercutting her relationship with Nikki. While this major change for Trying is most obviously reflected in Princess’s plot, all the characters grow as a consequence, and these developments are only going to become more noticeable going forward.
This ‘Trying’ Character Deserves So Much Better
It’s time everyone acknowledge that this character deserves better.
‘Trying’s Future Is Promising Because of the Show’s Time Jump
The story of Princess and Tyler’s adoption had run its course, but thanks to the time jump, Trying is still going strong, with Season 5 expected later this year. Picking up shortly after Season 4, the next installment will continue to benefit from this revamp as it explores the fallout from Kat turning up on the family’s doorstep. Like Princess, Tyler’s age will help this storyline. Not only will a 12-year-old be better able to understand the drama, but the older actor will be better equipped to portray the complex emotions needed.
Although little is known about Trying Season 5, in addition to Kat’s arrival, it is set to explore Nikki and Jason’s professional lives, with several new cast members joining to add complications just as things at home appear to spiral. Celia Imrie and Gbemisola Ikumelo will be involved in Jason’s story as he starts a new career as a social worker. Meanwhile, Colin Morgan will play a new coworker of Nikki’s, promising that something will be going on at the Vista Car Rental she manages. All of these new storylines are made possible by the six years that have passed between Season 3 and 4, which successfully reinvents Trying for the better.
