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Necessary Roughness TV Review – USA

By areyouscreening on | From areyouscreening.com

USA Network is hoping to put together a "doctor in unusual circumstances" one-two punch with its new show Necessary Roughness following the new season premiere of Royal Pains. After HankMed has its way with you, Necessary Roughness will offer up a therapist who finds herself diving into less than the normal routine, and since the world of physical health doctor out of water did so well, hopefully the mental health world will perform as well.

Necessary Roughness has a few more chinks in its armor than most of the new shows that USA puts out, and what stands out most is that it is difficult to tell where it's going, and it's even more difficult to tell who exactly the show is for. The pilot sets us up with Dr. Dani Santino (Callie Thorne) as a therapist who is a fan of hypnotherapy, and the first thing that happens in the show is that she learns that her husband is cheating on her, with several women.

Apparently contesting the divorce, or denying that he was cheating, or both, or something else that supposedly holds some meaning in the world of TV-drama, Dani's husband is making things difficult for her, and she isn't sure where her life, or the lives of her two teens is going now.

One thing leads to another - read: a one-night stand she picks up at a bar turns out to be high on the payroll for the local football team - and Dani finds herself staring at a very large check, if she can only get the star wide receiver to actually catch a football, and stop getting arrested.

As great as this may sound, said receiver, TK (Mehcad Brooks), isn't interested in therapy, or any other help, and seems rather content with his downward spiral. The effort involved in jumping into the mega-million dollar world of pro sports couldn't have come at a worse time for Dani, and the clash of family problems, including a rebellious daughter, isn't making it very likely that anyone is going to get the help they need, least of all Dani.

The general outlay of the show, apparently based on a true story to one degree or another (especially as the episodes keep rolling in), is rather intriguing, and much like Royal Pains, theoretically entertaining. Just kicking off things with the idea that laying a hypnotic suggestion on the right person, who can tell the right people, can suddenly land you in a very different life is something worth exploring, and has the makings of a fun ride.

What throws this series into a strange area is the level of drama it is aiming to wring out of every plot connection. The divorce, the troubled daughter, the sad/angry star athlete, everything is overload and overplayed, and before long the experience feels more like a Lifetime movie than anything else.

Photo by: Justin Stephens/USA Network

This one feels a lot more like an effort to expand demographics, as opposed to keeping up with the standards the network is known for, and if the pilot is any true showing of the series, they've overshot the mark by miles. The real question then is whether or not it is worth finding out how things play out once the establishment is out of the way. The trouble there is that the show gives you no real indication of what lies ahead. We're left, more or less, with the football connection, but who wants to watch her do that again? The show notes suggest that Dr. Dani moves on to - politicians, entertainers, NASCAR drivers, and so on, but we have nothing to go on insofar as how she kicks off the run, and I'm not sure how many are going to be hooked into finding out.

On the plus side, true to USA form, we certainly have a character here, and a fairly unique one. The show's hope rests squarely on Callie Thorne's shoulders here, because if viewers can connect enough with the character she is spinning together, they may stick it out for a while, giving the show a chance to settle into itself. Also rather a big plus, is Scott Cohen, who plays the enigmatic "fixer" working for the football team. His character is perhaps mildly "cardboardy" at this point, but Cohen's presence takes over every scene he's in. Unfortunately, given the uncertainty about future events in the show, it's difficult to know where, or if, he's going to fit into the series as a whole.

It's rare that I don't fall in love with a USA effort (in fact, there is only one other USA show that I am not a huge fan of), and I find that rather telling in this case. Let's face it, I am biased toward USA shows. I give them more than a fair shake, because I'm pulling for them. I expect them to be good, and my judgment is tainted. On the other hand, I'm biased against sickeningly dramatic shows (think somewhere in the ballpark of Brothers & Sisters in terms of slogging through drama, and sappy circumstance just for the sake of sappy circumstance), so my opinion here is pulled in a lot of directions.

I'm forced to give this a couple of more episodes before making the decision to avoid it altogether, but you're busier than I am, and you aren't.

Continuing the tradition of launching the #1 new series on cable for the past five summers, USA Network is poised to bring viewers another blockbuster new series, NECESSARY ROUGHNESS, premiering on Wednesday, June 29, at 10/9c, following the third season premiere of the hit show ROYAL PAINS.

Dr. Dani Santino (Callie Thorne) is a Long Island psychotherapist whose personal life unravels when she finds her husband cheating. Diving fully into her work, she takes on the challenge of rehabbing a bad boy professional football player (Mehcad Brooks) whose off-the-field antics threaten his career and the team franchise. Underestimated at every turn, she succeeds beyond expectations and soon finds herself as the most sought-after therapist for high-profile clients. Athletes, entertainers, politicians and others living in the spotlight clamor for her unique brand of tough love therapy during their moments of crisis. Although her career is reenergized, it wreaks havoc on her life as a newly minted single mom of two teenagers. Recognizing her ability to change people’s lives, she’s determined to strike a balance between both worlds.

The series stars Callie Thorne (“Rescue Me,” “Californication”), Marc Blucas (“Knight and Day,” “Buffy, The Vampire Slayer”), Mehcad Brooks (“True Blood,” “Desperate Housewives”) and Scott Cohen (“Law & Order: Trial By Jury,” “Gilmore Girls”). Patients that Dr. Dani will be helping this season include a NASCAR race car driver, a news anchor, an obsessive-compulsive football player, poker player, extreme sports junkie and some of the football players wives. Amanda Detmer (“What About Brian”) and Craig Bierko (“Sex and the City”) guest star in the pilot, and and Concetta Tomei (“Providence”) appears in a recurring role.

Created and executive produced by Liz Kruger & Craig Shapiro ("Miami Medical," "The Challenge"). Kevin Dowling ("Sons of Tucson") directed the pilot and also serves as executive producer. Jeffrey Lieber (“Lost,” “Chase”) also serves as executive producer. Inspired by a true story, NECESSARY ROUGHNESS is a Sony Pictures Television and Universal Cable Productions co-production.　NECESSARY ROUGHNESS shoots in Atlanta, GA.

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