Necessary Roughness: Season Two

Season Opener Hints at Longer Story Arcs
Necessary Roughness established itself as a heartfelt drama of a recently divorced psychotherapist who goes to work for a New York football team. As well as treating the team and all the dramas attendent to sports as big business, Necessary Roughness had a patient of the week format that made it accessible to new viewers. Terrence King, the good-hearted bad boy wide receiver is shot in the season finale and season two opens not only with the fall-out from the shooting, but with hints from other long-term storylines related to the team. The mysterious family that owns the Hawks will be more in evidence this season it seems as will the enigmatic head of security.

I was surprised to find that I liked Necessary Roughness as much as I did as I am indifferent to football. But NR isn't about football, it is about people and the therapist who knows them and sometimes treats them. The performances are solid and convincing without being melodramatic and the writing is believable -...

Nico and Dani a mature relationship
This series gets a bit beyond lackluster stereotypes except for the therapy part where platitudes seem to be the cure for every ill. Dani is an o.k. therapist, I guess, but most deluded when it comes to her own relationships. Matt is a trip down memory lane hoping and praying for a do-over of her past. Nico represents the future and, I wish, a much better prospect for a mature and grown-up Dani looking ahead. These two very different men are the subtext to the overall theme of a therapist with high-powered clients who play games for a living. Dani, though diminutive in size, can stand up to the toughest client both emotionally and physically. There is enough of a story line where another season would be appreciated. However, the "getting real" is as much of an issue for the writers of this series as it is for their characters, Dani especially.

My guilty pleasure
If you're looking for a show that is really about football or therapy go to ESPN and PBS. Necessary Roughness is all about the fun. Every episode has laughs and at least one ahhhh moment.

I like the way they have taken characters they introduced in the first season and are building on them. This is a young show and has a lot of potential for growth.

My only complaint is that I find the romance between Dani and Matt forced. As much as I like the actor who plays Matt, I don't really see the chemistry between this couple. Add that to the fact his life is in a very different place than the newly divorced Dani and it isn't working for me. If they want to find a romantic interest for Dr. Dani Santino, they should look no further than the character of Nico, the 'fixer' for the football team. That is a couple that has chemistry.

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