Wednesday night USA premiered there highly anticipated series Necessary Roughness. It’s a dramedy that stars Callie Thorne as an unlikely therapist to the stars in the cut throat world of professional sports. The network has been shoving the show down our throats for months so I was a little worried about whether or not it could deliver and surprisingly — it did!
Necessary Roughness isn’t as cut and dry as you might think. It’s not just about a therapist trying to fit into a world she knows nothing about. She has her own problems that have absolutely nothing to do with sports. Callie Thorne plays Dr. Danielle Santino, a mother of two troubling teenagers, the soon-to-be ex-wife of a philandering husband, and the daughter of a compulsive gambler.
Danielle is broke and her divorce proves to be more costly than she thought. She randomly meets a tall and handsome guy at a bar (Marc Blucas) who turns out to be a trainer for a professional football team. They exchange info and voila, she gets a shot at trying to fix the biggest bad boy in football — Terrence King (Mehcad Brooks).
The doctor has her hands full with King or T.K. as the fans call him. He gives Dani hell but she goes tic for tack with him every step of the way. In those scenes Thorne really holds her own against Brooks who looks half a foot taller than the actress. The character’s not easily intimidated.
There are so many relationships to explore on this show. Dani and her sleazy ex have their messy divorce, her daughter is acting out in school, while her son has “10 girlfriends.” She also has an off limits relationship with the team’s trainer that has a “will they or won’t they” vibe to it. Not to mention the mysterious Nico (Scott Cohen), who also works with the head coach. He’s a quiet character who has a lot brewing beneath the surface.
Necessary Roughness turned out to be a pleasant surprise that needs and has room to become great. It’s already earned its spot on my DVR this summer.
The show airs every Wednesday on USA at 10 pm.
