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- Apple TV+
- May 1, 2020
- Apple TV+
- May 1, 2020
Summary Jason (Rafe Spall) and Nikki (Esther Smith) want to have children but are unable to in this British comedy written by Andy Wolton.
Created By: Andy Wolton
- Apple TV+
- May 1, 2020
- Apple TV+
- May 1, 2020
Summary Jason (Rafe Spall) and Nikki (Esther Smith) want to have children but are unable to in this British comedy written by Andy Wolton.
Created By: Andy Wolton
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Metascore
Generally Favorable
Based on 8 Critic Reviews
69
63% Positive
5 Reviews
5 Reviews
38% Mixed
3 Reviews
3 Reviews
0% Negative
0 Reviews
0 Reviews
Metascore
Generally Favorable
Based on 8 Critic Reviews
69
63% Positive
5 Reviews
5 Reviews
38% Mixed
3 Reviews
3 Reviews
0% Negative
0 Reviews
0 Reviews
Couples on TV spend a lot of time talking about getting pregnant or get pregnant by surprise (see the aforementioned Catastrophe), but rarely does a series so honestly portray the devastation of infertility or the challenges and heartbreak of the adoption process. It’s great to have this much candor in a series that is still so highly entertaining.
“Trying” has an impish sense of humor, but it tops its comedy with a great heart.
The first four episodes of this opening season definitely have their charms — Jason’s meet-up with an ex to try to heal some open emotional wounds has some unexpected push-pull moments — the back half is really where “Trying” settles into a groove.
It feels that Trying is going to try (pun intended) to get the emotional wringer of the adoption process right instead of falling back on TV cliches about it. It also helps that Smith and Spall play a couple that are great together and you want to see get what they’ve been hoping for.
As is so often the case, the opening episode isn’t its best – there is an over-reliance on the traditional dramatic tropes of the childless couple (making awkward jokes about fontanelles to new mothers and so on), but it quickly finds its feet. ... The genuinely loving, intimate banter between Nikki and Jason in their quieter moments too is one of the series’ greatest strengths.
At its best, Trying candidly lays bare the emotional filigree of failing to conceive a child and choosing to devote your life to a tiny stranger. At its worst, it yokes us to two unlikable people who grind you down with their endless neuroses.
The zingy script is strongly performed but I spent too much of Trying being faintly irritated by the characters and the cynical way it’s all styled.
User Score
Generally Favorable
Based on 11 User Ratings
6.5
64% Positive
7 Ratings
7 Ratings
18% Mixed
2 Ratings
2 Ratings
18% Negative
2 Ratings
2 Ratings
User Score
Generally Favorable
Based on 11 User Ratings
6.5
64% Positive
7 Ratings
7 Ratings
18% Mixed
2 Ratings
2 Ratings
18% Negative
2 Ratings
2 Ratings
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