‘Trying’ Stars Esther Smith & Rafe Spall Preview Nikki and Jason’s Latest Parenting Hurdles in Season 4

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Apple TV+‘s sweetest family comedy Trying is coming back with a bit of a time jump as parents Nikki (Esther Smith) and Jason (Rafe Spall) deal with the growing pains of teen children.

After officially adopting Princess and Tyler in Season 3—which saw the couple finally tie the knot—Nikki and Jason are six years into their marriage and parenting journey. And while their close-knit unit is solid, lingering questions direct them and their kids down some adventurous paths in Season 4.

“We are six years ahead, which is quite a rare time jump in television in the comedic world,” Spall tells TV Insider. “And Princess is now a teenager and our son, Tyler, is 11. And obviously, having a teenager and kids at that age presents a lot of challenges in conventional families.” Both Princess and Tyler are played by new older actors, Scarlett Rayner and Cooper Turner.

Apple TV+

Of course, in a family brought together through adoption, there are other hurdles to overcome as Spall says, “When your daughter is of an age, to then start asking questions about her biological mother, it’s difficult and challenging. And that kind of sets up the dramatic thrust for the whole season.”

While Nikki and Jason may both approach the situation similarly, it’ll certainly be a bit tougher for known worrier Nikki. “In light of how neurotic she is and how much of a worrier she is, [Nikki] very much likes to be in control and she very much likes to do the right thing. However, this is a circumstance in which she can’t control,” Smith points out of Princess’s desire to meet her birth mom.

“She can’t control the emotions of a teenager [who] understandably wants to explore who her birth mom is and trying to navigate that with compassion, but also with your own feelings surrounding that because she sees herself as her mother and then there’s this other person in her life who is her biological mother,” Smith adds.

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So that’s “been really interesting for Nikki,” Smith notes, “to see how she approaches that and then she just had to surrender to it.”

On a lighter note, the series welcomes a fun guest star, Jim Broadbent, who gets involved in Nikki and Jason’s relationship when the trio goes out dancing together. “What a lovely opportunity to work with Jim Broadbent and also the nature of those scenes like getting to ballroom dance with him was brilliant and hilarious and we’re really lucky that he has come on board for it,” Smith gushes.

Don’t miss the sweet family fun when Trying returns to Apple TV+ this summer.

Trying, Season 4 Premiere, Wednesday, May 22, Apple TV+