Apple TV+'s Trying is a delightful adoption comedy with a strength that comes from the simplicity of its premise
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"In some ways, building a TV show around a couple to root for is a lot more difficult than setting up one doomed to fail," says Steve Greene of Apple TV+'s first British comedy. "What makes Trying, the latest comedy in the greater Apple TV+ library, such a success is that it finds a way for any viewer to be invested in its central couple’s happiness while not being shut off from the fortifying ups and downs that make following them worth it. Nikki (Esther Smith) and Jason (Rafe Spall) don’t claim to be extraordinary. She works at a rental car company call center and he teaches adult ESL classes. When their attempts to conceive a child of their own are unsuccessful, they both decide to take the next step and pursue adoption. Like most prospective parents, they quickly find themselves in over their heads, but through that realization are able to lean on each other."
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- Trying is disarmingly original in concept: "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," says Robyn Bahr. "At its worst, it yokes us to two unlikable people who grind you down with their endless neuroses."
- Trying tackles the adoption with compassion
