I’ve spent the last 18 months desperately hunting for any scrap of news about "Trying" season 4. And finally, after a whole lot of waiting — and lots of fretting that its renewal would get reversed and the show would instead be canceled — an Apple TV Plus 2024 trailer confirmed that "Trying" will return for its fourth season starting on May 22.
Never heard of "Trying"? To be honest, I’m not shocked. This feel-good Apple TV Plus show has spent the majority of its run living in the shadow of a certain overly optimistic soccer coach named Ted Lasso. But "Trying" season 4 is going to have a clean run without the AFC Richmond gang sucking up all the oxygen in the room, and I’m hoping this year "Trying" gets the full spotlight to itself. This delightful British comedy series has flown under the radar for too darn long!
Now that Ted Lasso has finished its run, and before the inevitable spin-offs arrive, "Trying" is the perfect easy-watching show to fill the void, and its latest season looks set to move its core cast into some interesting places.
If you want to know more about "Trying" season 4, then read down below, but first, let me give newcomers a quick sales pitch on why you need to watch this show.
Now’s the perfect time to give ‘Trying’ a try
Much like Ted Lasso, "Trying's" core appeal is that it combines a generally breezy tone with a loveable cast. There’s not a cynical bone in this show’s body. Instead of hooking you with shocking twisting or drama revelation, "Trying" offers up a pure dose of positivity and optimism, and that’s something that I think everybody could do with a little more of these days.
"Trying" centers on Nikki Newman (Esther Smith) and Jason Ross (Rafe Spall), a young(ish) couple living in London who desperately want to start a family. After struggling to conceive naturally, they decide to try adaptation. This kicks off a whole series of trials and tribulations as they attempt to navigate the complex process of proving they are capable of raising a small human — to both the authorities and themselves.
By far my favorite aspect of the show is the flawless chemistry between Smith and Spall. Nikki and Jason are a couple that are extremely easy to root for, and they play off each other brilliantly. Nikki is the dreamer of the two, while Jason is a little more realistic. They’re a joy to watch together, but they also have unique individual qualities. Spall frequently delivers witty one-liners, and Smith is a master at broader physical comedy.
I should also note that "Trying" isn’t afraid to get a little more serious when appropriate. While it never goes for high melodrama, serious subject matters are touched upon. These range from a strong plotline where Nikki struggles to find professional fulfillment, to a look at the difficult nature of the adoption process and how it sometimes forces siblings apart. These strands never spoil the overall cheery tone, but "Trying" doesn’t pretend life is always sunny either.
The good news is that if you’ve yet to watch "Trying", you’ve got 24 excellent episodes to get caught up on ahead of the premiere of season 4 in a few months. I’ll warn you though, "Trying" is such a watchable series that you might find yourself binging it all in a matter of days.
‘Trying’ season 4 — here's what we know
If you’re all caught up on where we left Nikki and Jason and their two adopted kids, Princess (Scarlett Rayner) and Tyler (Cooper Turner), at the end of season 3, then you’ll know that the long-time couple finally tied the knot and were approved to become permanent adoptive parents. It seemed almost like the perfect ending for the whole series.
However, the show’s creator and writer Andy Wolton felt there were more stories to tell, and "Trying" season 4 will deploy an age-old storytelling device: the time skip. This latest season will pick up six years later, and see Nikki and Jason settled into their status as adopters. But, even in a show like "Trying" there needs to be a little drama, so trouble is just around the corner.
The official Apple logline explains that “Princess (Scarlett Rayner), starts to yearn for a connection with her birth mother, which will see “Nikki and Jason find themselves confronted with the ultimate test of their parenting skills." The streamer has also confirmed that Nikki’s no-nonsense sister Karen (Sian Brooke) and her kooky husband Scott (Darren Boyd) will be returning.
"Trying" season 4 debuts on Apple TV Plus on May 22 with a two-episode premiere, followed by weekly drops each Wednesday until July 3. In the meantime, I’ll be rewatching the previous seasons for the umpteenth time to make the wait until spring a little more bearable.
