NECESSARY ROUGHNESS: Dr. Dani Faces a New Set of Issues in Season 2

Dr. Dani is back! Necessary Roughness returns for its sophomore season tonight on USA Network, and I am so happy to have Dr. Dani, TK, Nico, et al back on my screen. Necessary Roughness wasn’t really on my radar leading up to last year’s premiere. I knew about it, but didn’t think it was for me. Sports psychology? Meh. But I happened to catch the pilot and was instantly smitten with Callie Thorne’s no nonsense, practical, tough as nails, mothering, comforting Dr. Dani.

After a season of dealing with TK (Mehcad Brooks) and his shenanigans, interspersed with other athlete clients and their needs, we ended on a bang. Literally. In the first season finale, Nico showed up at Dr. Dani’s door in the middle of the night, but not for the booty call I so desperately want them to succumb to. Nope, he was there to report that TK had been shot. As season 2 opens, it’s been several weeks since that fateful night and while TK survived, his recovery takes an unexpected format. Well, this is TK, unexpected is kind of the norm, isn’t it?

Combining Zen, meditation, and hot female physical therapists, TK is feeling pretty good about himself and his cockiness is as prevalent as ever. His annoying manager is still with him, giving TK whatever he wants and ignoring the deeper trauma Dr. Dani know lurks in TK’s psyche. Sure enough, PTSD kicks in at the worst of times. Although it’s a rough scene for TK the character, it’s nicely acted by Brooks and gives another member of the team an opportunity to do what he does best.

Meanwhile, Dani’s personal life is practically a roller coaster. Her relationship with Matt (Marc Blucas) is getting more serious, although they’re keeping it quiet from kids, colleagues, etc. The pair are comfortable with each other, they make a good match, but I’m still not quite feeling the heat. Especially with Nico smoldering in the background. Look, I don’t think Dani and Nico would make it long-term, but can’t they give us one unexpected kiss? But I digress. Besides, Nico has his hands full with the team owner’s divorce, which is getting nastier by the day.

While her current relationship is humming along nicely, Dani’s ex continues to screw her over. Thanks to delinquent tax payments, the IRS is now auditing Dani even though they’re no longer married. It’s a stressful situation, but she tries to make the best of it. Let’s see how that works out…

How will Dani juggle it all? Can TK recover from the shooting? How long can Dani and Matt keep their relationship a secret? Tune in to the new season of Necessary Roughness Wednesdays at 10/9c on USA Network to find out!