History Series / NecessaryRoughness

* SuperOCD: [[spoiler: Hawks FB Randall Boozler has it; stress caused him to start performing extra rituals, resulting in his coming to practice and even games late.]]

** An episode where a #1 baseball prospect is expected to be drafted by Kansas City is treated like he's moving to Kansas City. Even #1 high school prospects (like Bryce Harper, who is a potential "once in a generation" like player), take several years in the minors in baseball, typically nowhere geographically near the parent club before making it to the majors, and even that is not a given. Football and Basketball will see jumps from amateur to the highest level all the time, but rarely in baseball. It's the fact that this is treated as standard procedure and not rare and special [[note]]It's rare and special enough for [[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_baseball_players_who_went_directly_to_Major_League_Baseball it's own page]] at Wiki/TheOtherWiki.[[/note]] that makes this a GHTB situation.

* {{Corpsing}}: The client of the week in "Anchor Management" turns to Dani after doing this on live television while discussing a war.

* AbsenteeActor: Seven episodes into season 2 and Vivica has yet to show up.
** Seven episodes into season 2 and Lindsay's only been in two, Ray J in three.
** Into season 3, [=RayJ=] is in Europe (eg no episodes), and Lindsay shows up briefly in 2x03 to be a foil to the client of the week.

** FridgeBrilliance: It's him slipping back into old habits and a reinforcement of the fact that therapy isn't a one-and-done sort of deal - it takes effort and work on the part of the patient to make a long term difference.

Not to be confused with the movie ''Film/NecessaryRoughness'', which, while also football-based, is an underdog story.

-->--'''Dani, "Forget Me Not"''', 1x09

The series centers on Dr. Danielle "Dani" Santino, a tough Long Island divorcee who, in order to make ends meet, gets a job as a therapist for a professional football team. Her career begins to take off when athletes, musicians, politicians and other celebrities start to request her tough love therapy. She must learn to balance her new career with being a single mother.

* YourCheatingHeart: Dani's husband has been having affairs right under her nose. He even used the guest bedroom in their house for this. When Dani realizes this, she files for divorce.
** Gabrielle Pittman seems fine with cheating on her husband. Of course, Marshall Pittman seems fine with cheating on his wife, so the knife goes both ways.
** She seems fine ignoring her own affair with Matt in the pilot episode; she was even ready to get it on in the coach's office before she realized it was a job offer and that other people were there.
** And as it turns out, Dani's mother and father both had affairs. It's implied that her father's were out of lust while her mother's was out of love.

* WhatHappenedToThePet: Averted with Little Dude. His fish bowl is clearly seen on the kitchen counter and Dani feeds him a few times. [[spoiler: Makes an additional appearance where he dies and subsequently shows up frozen in a block of ice.]]

* MentorShip: Dani's new boyfriend JD, who was her psych professor in grad school.

* IncrediblyLamePun: Some of the episode titles have this going on. "Anchor Management"? "A Wing and a Player"? "Shrink or Swim"?

Not to be confused with the movie ''Film/NecessaryRoughness'', which, while also football-based, is completely different.

** It's been Nico so much that Dani's getting GenreSavvy about it, but it's happening less often in season two.

* HotScoop: Vivica Stevens.

* JerkWithAHeartOfGold: TK. He's getting there.

* FunctionalAddict: Marshall Pittman thinks he's this, but he's [[OffTheWagon really not]].

* PetTheDog: When a reporter starts hounding Razor, TK steps up and offers an unfettered interview with himself about his shooting... but only if said reporter backs off Razor. Crosses over into both CharacterDevelopment for TK (showing off his growing leadership and compassion) as well that for all his bluster, he really does think of his team as family (in this case, Razor being like a younger brother).

** Into season 3, RayJ is in Europe (eg no episodes), and Lindsay shows up briefly in 2x03 to be a foil to the client of the week.

* TheChessmaster: Conner MacClane is no doubt one as seen by the events of "Sucker Punch". He may very well get into MagnificantBastard at the rate he's going.

* TheFoil: In some ways, Juliette to TK. TK is actively trying to change who he is - from bad boy to leader, from [[spoiler: drug addict]] to [[spoiler: clean living.]] Juliette prefers Old!TK because it's more marketable and fun.

** Dani for TK. Crosses over into FamilialSubstitute in "All the King's Horses". [[spoiler: Dani is truly hurt by TK's initial refusal to enter rehab and subsequently showing up at her house begging her for help. Ray J's storyline seems to be at first him using Matt & TK for insider info on fantasy football and at first seems upset about TK's rehab because it'll make him lose his fantasy football league... but he doesn't even hesitate to defend TK when his 'friend' starts insulting TK and reveals he was only panicked because he didn't know what had happened to TK.]]

* ProblemSolver: Nico and Dani.
** Nico solves the players' problems and, on occasion, Dani's. Dani, as the therapist, is the person solver.

* TheBusComesBack: [[spoiler: Episode 3x6. TK gets traded to New Jersey... where Coach Purnell is head coach.]]

* CaliforniaDoubling: While set in Long Island, the show is filmed in UsefulNotes/{{Atlanta}}, with the Georgia Dome serving as the home field of the New York Hawks.

* TheCastShowoff: Scenes of Matt playing basketball are due to Marc Blucas's college and semi-pro basketball career.

** In "Might As Well Face It", Starhawk is an actual game for the PS3. That said, it's unlikely that any tournament for any game would fill a stadium like they showed - even the biggest e-sport game has trouble selling out a large auditorium (online viewers however are another story).

* MetaCasting: TK's actor (Mehcad Brooks) is the son of an NFL wide receiver.

* FollowTheLeader: Like many other USA shows after the success of BurnNotice, this is the story of a fish out of water with personal issues that subverts tropes, has quirky and guile characters, doesn't take itself too seriously while poking fun at other shows in good nature.

* HotMom: Dani.
** In season two, [[spoiler: Jeanette]] is about to become one.