NECESSARY ROUGHNESS Sees Major Changes for Dr. Dani in Season 3

If the title of the Necessary Roughness season 3 premiere – “Ch-Ch-Changes” – wasn’t enough of a clue that Dr. Dani’s life was about to take a turn, the cold open pretty much turns her entire world upside down.

Following a tumultuous season on and off the field, the Hawks once again miss out on a Championship ring, and as a result Coach Purnell is given his pink slip. The new coach, a four-time champion, is hardcore. He doesn’t have time for shenanigans, and TK quickly butts heads with him.

Dr. Dani also finds herself on the wrong side of the new coach, and without a job. Yep, he summarily dismisses Dr. Dani and calls in his own therapist, which TK does not take well at all. It’s easy to forget that TK was the catalyst for Dani working with the Hawks, but this episode does a nice job of underscoring their relationship and the foundation she’s provided for him.

With her day job gone, Dani is back to “pounding the pavement” for clients, considering offering her services to other pro teams in New York, when Nico calls after months of silence. Dani’s sister, Jeanette, is visiting from Italy when the call comes, so fortunately we have someone to ask all the questions we, the viewer want to ask. Apparently Nico did not take the job in Dallas, for “personal reasons”, and has been working for V3, the agency run by new cast members John Stamos and David Anders, while ducking Dani’s calls. This leads to a terrific moment when Dani calls him “Sir Sneako”. Unfortunately not to his face, but still! Dani doesn’t let him off the hook, either, demanding answers and generally being her feisty self.

It’s Nico’s connection to V3 that puts Dani on Connor McClane’s (John Stamos) radar when they have a baseball phenom who’s afraid of flying. She agrees to take the case, butts heads with CFO Troy Cutler (David Anders), and ultimately shows why she’s worth the big bucks. A very lucrative and exciting offer from V3 sets her up for even more interesting cases, and a chance for us to watch her interact with a high-powered, ambitious, intensely charismatic new cast of characters.

But what of her former boyfriend and her children? Matt has made a huge life choice of his own, and it looks like any romantic relationship between him and Dani is out of the question now. They have a poignant moment toward the end of the episode that seems to wrap up that part of their story. Ray Jay has run off with Juliette Pittman to parts unknown, and Lindsay is just “never home anymore”, leaving Dani to rattle around her big house alone. In theory. She has enough late night visitors in need of her help and/or forgiveness to keep her busy for now.

I’ll admit, I’ve been nervous about the changes suggested by adding John Stamos and David Anders as regulars, and the apparent exit of Marc Blucas. With so much upheaval, would Necessary Roughness still be the show I’ve so enjoyed over the last two years? The answer is a resounding YES. Here’s the thing about this show: I didn’t realize it was digging itself into a rut until it pulled itself out and set itself on a new path. It’s rare for a show to change course so gracefully, but that’s what Necessary Roughness does with the season 3 premiere, giving Dani exciting new career opportunities and cutting her loose from some relationships – both professional and personal – that were weighing her down. Here’s to you, Dr. Dani. Knock ’em dead!

Necessary Roughness kicks off season 3 on Wednesday, June 12 at 10/9c on USA Network.