Created by Andy Wolton, Trying Season 5 premiered on Apple TV+ on July 8, 2026, bringing back the main cast for another chapter in Nikki and Jason’s family journey. This season, they face their biggest hurdle yet when the biological mother of their adopted kids, Princess and Tyler, unexpectedly comes back into their lives, threatening the family’s hard-won stability.
Esther Smith returns as Nikki alongside Rafe Spall as Jason. Scarlett Rayner and Cooper Turner reprise their roles as Princess and Tyler, while Charlotte Riley plays the birth mother, Kat. Darren Boyd and Siân Brooke also return as the family’s eccentric but well-meaning relatives, Scott and Karen.
The main cast in Apple TV’s Trying Season 5
1) Esther Smith as Nikki Newman
Esther Smith returns as Nikki Newman, the adoptive mother at the center of the series. In Trying Season 5, Nikki struggles with the return of Princess and Tyler’s biological mother, Kat, while trying to keep her family together and protect the bond she has built with her children.
2) Rafe Spall as Jason Ross
Rafe Spall plays Jason, Nikki’s husband. Fatherhood has forced him to mature, inspiring him to go back to school to become a social worker. This season, he works hard to protect his family and work through the challenges brought by their kids’ biological mother.
3) Charlotte Riley as Kat
Charlotte Riley joins the cast as Kat, the biological mother of Princess and Tyler. Her unexpected return creates the main conflict of Trying Season 5. She wants to build a relationship with the children she gave up, forcing the family to face tough questions about trust.
4) Colin Morgan as Kerry
Colin Morgan plays Kerry, a new character introduced this season. He is Nikki’s co-worker at her new job in the travel industry. As they spend more time together, his presence creates unexpected tension and insecurity in Nikki and Jason’s marriage.
5) Siân Brooke as Karen Newman
Siân Brooke plays Karen, Nikki’s protective and sarcastic older sister. She acts as Nikki’s closest confidante, using humor to hide her vulnerable side. In Trying Season 5, she balances raising her daughter while dealing with the stress of her husband Scott’s wild new ideas.
6) Darren Boyd as Scott Filbert
Darren Boyd returns as Scott, Karen’s husband and a key member of the extended family. In Season 5, Scott embarks on the demanding challenge of rowing solo across the Atlantic, leaving Karen to manage life at home while he pursues his ambitious goal.
7) Scarlett Rayner as Princess & Cooper Turner as Tyler
Scarlett Rayner and Cooper Turner play Princess and Tyler, Nikki and Jason’s adopted children who are now independent teenagers. Princess drives the season’s main plot by asking to meet her birth mother, Kat, while Tyler deals with growing up and his first romance.
Trying Season 5 premiered on Apple TV on July 8.
Edited by Suchita Patnaha
