Rafe Spall returns as Jason when Trying comes back for its fifth season on Apple TV on July 8, 2026. The new run picks up a British family comedy that has already pushed its story six years forward, so viewers are not getting a reset; they are getting the next stretch of Nikki and Jason’s life as adoptive parents.
Season 5 arrives with Esther Smith and Rafe Spall back in the lead roles, and the trailer is already signaling the same family-centered focus that has defined the series since Andy Wolton created it. That keeps the show in a lane built on everyday rhythms rather than high-concept swings, which is exactly why a dated streaming return matters: it gives returning viewers a fixed point for a story built on continuity.
Apple TV and the July 8 return
July 8, 2026 is the date that matters for anyone following Trying. The fifth season lands on Apple TV after season 4 sent the story six years into the future, which means the new episodes are continuing from an older version of the family rather than rebuilding the premise from the start.
That structure keeps the series easy to track for viewers of Trying and the family at the center of it: the return is not just another drop, but a clear continuation of where the last season left off. For a streaming series, that kind of dated return helps preserve momentum because the audience knows exactly when the next chapter becomes available.
Esther Smith and Rafe Spall
Esther Smith and Rafe Spall return as Nikki and Jason, the adoptive parents anchoring the show. Their roles matter because the series depends on the day-to-day friction of family life rather than on a single plot twist, and season 5 keeps that formula intact with the same core pair in place.
Rafe Spall’s return as Jason is the clearest sign that the show is staying with its existing emotional engine instead of retooling the cast. In a season built around ordinary responsibilities, keeping Jason in the frame gives the new episodes the same family rhythm viewers already know.
Princess and the six-year jump
Season 4 moved the story six years ahead, and that time jump is still doing work in season 5. Princess, Nikki and Jason’s teenage daughter, is now at the point where school pressures and shifting family roles sit alongside a more personal question: she is also grappling with the longing to find her biological mother.
That split between the series’ warm everyday tone and Princess’s search gives the new season its sharpest edge. The family may still be living in a comedy built on domestic routine, but the teenage storyline pushes the show beyond simple comfort viewing and into the more complicated business of growing up inside an adoptive family.
For viewers, the practical takeaway is simple: Trying Season 5 starts on July 8, 2026, with Nikki, Jason, and the rest of the family back in motion. The open question is whether the new season will deepen Princess’s search while keeping the series’ steady, grounded pace.
