Meet the parents
AS THIS EMOTIONAL COMEDY RETURNS, RAFE SPALL AND ESTHER SMITH SHARE THE ADOPTION ADVENTURES OF ALTER EGOS JASON AND NIKKI WITH INSIDE TV…
TRYING Apple TV+
Hi, both! Nikki and Jason have adopted siblings Tyler and Princess (Cooper Turner and Scarlett Rayner) – how’s their family life going?
Rafe It’s our fourth series and we’ve moved forward six years – Jason and Nikki are now proud parents to an 11-year-old [Tyler] and a teenager [Princess], which presents all the issues you can imagine. It’s difficult enough parenting teenagers, but adding in the fact that they’re adopted, and are bound to start asking questions about their birth parents, it’s challenging. Jason’s a stay-athome dad, while Nikki is successful in her career. Six years have presented problems and issues and fun!
What would you say has prompted the series success?
Esther I think it’s the idea of hope. Every situation they’re presented with, no matter how dark, there’s always hope. I think it’s nice for people to feel reassured by that. And there’s a lovely lightness to the series – no matter how hard things are, there’s always humour.
The series has followed the couple’s adoption process – what does it mean now that they’re finally parenting?
Esther Oh, gosh, it means everything. For Nikki, it just feels like what she was made to do. She’s quite a neurotic parent and wants to control everything, but something has clicked for her in that role, which is so lovely to see and to play.
How do their parenting skills compare?
Rafe I think Jason is less of a worrier and is more pragmatic than Nikki, and he spends a lot of his time reassuring her – though he has his own problems, too. But they complement each other – not only romantically, but also as parents, and they’re really good because they keep trying! So the title encapsulates what the show is about…
Have you heard from those going through a similar journey in real life?
Esther People do share their stories – about how much the show has meant to them or given them hope. Regardless of whether they’re going through the adoption process, or having fertility struggles, or just trying to create a family. That’s so lovely to receive!