Sins of fathers and mothers not only visit each of the characters, but infest them; the show shimmers with an inner core of volcanic anger that makes it far more interesting than your average family soap.
I like the lead and have seen her in other things of course. Overall I thought it was good. Some things were forced and that shows me that this is going to get worse, not better, but I can hope.
Necessary Roughness is a pretty interesting show, but it doesn't seem to steer clear of usual TV and movie story lines. An example being getting divorced and starting a new life. I don't know if there are any people like this, but TK seems like a larger than life character, I don't really think anyone actually acts like that... I agree with the others, Callie Thorne isn't a very good therapist, but I do like how each show has a different case come in. (I'm a huge fan of medical dramas, crime dramas, I've never seen a show where a psychologist solves cases.)
The Necessary Roughness pilot was enjoyable enough, but half the fun may have come from seeing Dani's adjustment to the big money, high-stakes world of professional sports. Can this show go the distance? It isn't clear yet, but at this admittedly early stage, the latest addition to the USA roster appears to be a promising rookie.
Written by Liz Kruger and Craig Shapiro and directed by Kevin Dowling, Roughness smoothly exploits the winning combination of Thorne--who practically oozes sex appeal, while still conveying an approachable vulnerability--with the macho NFL setting.
If plot is incidental to your enjoyment of a show--and especially if you're already a fan of Ms. Thorne's all-in acting style--then Necessary Roughness offers OK entertainment.
[Thorne's] a likable, charming actress, surrounded by a bunch of familiar, appealing performers (Cohen in particular is someone I've liked a long time, even if the business hasn't known quite what to do with him), and I think there's potential in this idea. But the execution and/or the network aren't right for the idea.
Created by Liz Kruger and Craig Shapiro ("Miami Medical"), the writing is amateurish, the premise as thin as watery gruel, the emotions generally inauthentic, and the cast only minimally engaging.
I love Callie Thorne, but a therapist she ain't. Not one that can be taken seriously that is. She brings all her charming mannerisms to the role but the plots are for the prime time junkies. She can't even get her therapy methods straight. She says she is a behavioral counselor, then trots out all the tired cliched interventions known to tinsel town. She basically is a therapist for adolescent males. Sports heroes that is. They all get performance breakdowns, but in the allotted fifty five minutes she has them cured. All except T.K. the football jock who has to be straightened out on a regular basis. Maybe by episode 10 he'll be past his teens!
We have to be honest with ourselves here. Yes, we all love Callie Thorne (from Homcide, The Wire, Rescue Me), but the writing on this show is atrocious. And yes, I watch just about every other USA summer show, so I gave it 2 episodes before pulling the plug on this. It's really too bad. If you really need your therapist fix, go for HBO's In Treatment - start with Season 1. And if you want more light USA fare, try Covert Affairs, Suits, or Royals Pains. I know you're already watching Burn Notice, so there's no need to make that argument.
I have watched almost every show on USA the past several years, but I could not watch Necessary Roughness. Quite simply the show is horribly written. The characters are shallow and contrived. The dialogue is atrocious. And, while Callie Thorne has been good in most everything else she is in, she is hardly convincing as a therapist. Of course, most of this can be blamed on the writers, whom I am not sure even understand what a therapist does!
I was hoping for something similar to the old movie... comedy, football, and just plain fun... instead there is an emo football sissy, a doctor with the IQ of yogurt, and a script that plays like a pseudo-reality show. If you are into reality type dramas, then this might be ok for you, but it has nothing to do with sports and has absolutely no comedy.