‘Trying’s Rafe Spall & Esther Smith on Why Season 5’s Perfect Ending Isn’t Really the End
Apple TV's comedy-drama Trying has wrapped its fifth season, with stars Rafe Spall and Esther Smith discussing the finale in an interview with Collider. The season pushed adoptive parents Nikki and Jason into new emotional territory following the return of their children's biological mother, Kat, while also testing the couple's relationship through Nikki's growing attachment to a new colleague, Kerry. Rather than serving as a conclusive ending, the finale is designed to open up fresh possibilities for the family's story, with both actors suggesting the show has shifted from being about adoption to being more broadly about family life.
Season 5 saw several long-running storylines resolved, including Kat's emotional farewell to her children Princess and Tyler, and Nikki's confession to Jason that she had not corrected his assumption that Kerry was a woman. Smith explained that the storyline was less about romantic threat and more about Nikki's fear of losing her identity and place within the family as her children grew and changed. Spall praised the writing for allowing the couple to face the challenge honestly rather than manufacturing artificial drama, framing it as evidence of their strong, tested relationship. Both actors indicated the show, created by Andy Wolton, is now positioned to continue exploring the family's evolving dynamics beyond its original adoption narrative.
- Trying Season 5 finale closes major arcs but sets up further stories
- Kat's return and Nikki's crush on Kerry tested the central couple
- Spall and Smith say the show has evolved into a broader family drama
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Trying is a British comedy-drama about Nikki and Jason, a couple who become parents through adoption. Their children, Princess and Tyler, have birth family connections that remain part of their lives, so the story follows a family shaped by more than one kind of relationship.
Nikki and Jason are played by Esther Smith and Rafe Spall, and the series was created by Andy Wolton. Kat, the children’s biological mother, is also an important character, as her relationship with them affects the whole family.
The show began with the couple’s journey to becoming parents and has since explored the everyday changes that come with raising children. That broader focus helps explain why the family’s story can continue to develop beyond the adoption process.