Drama
Doctor Who
The good Doctor’s been flitting around time, space and the BBC since 1963. Now he’s also a fixture in the US, toting his curiously British brand of sci-fi in his highly mobile TARDIS. Just how safe is this contraption?
It’s pretty evident that Americans are still enthralled with reality TV, whether that means following club-trawling Jersey hotheads or peeping in on the affairs and traumas of the celebrity beautiful. So it’s not surprising that producers at the USA Network might try to package a number of those “reality” elements—celebrity, salacious behavior and a seriously East Coast vibe—into its latest drama series.
Sports stars, divorce, boozy parties, mental cases … they’re all a part of the breezy mix that is Necessary Roughness. The dramatic ignition spark at the center of this combustive collection is Dr. Dani Santino, a pretty psychotherapist who comes armed with a commonsense approach and a Long Island stare that’s as cold as a January wind gusting off the Sound. And with her new job and recalibrated home life, she needs both.
The changes in Dr. Dani’s world all began with a messy divorce from her bed-hopping hubby. The cut-the-cord choice seemed perfectly reasonable at first, but the challenge of single-handedly covering the bills with her tiny practice while trying to cope with a party-hearty daughter, a girl-happy son and a gamble-holic mother isn’t exactly easy. In fact, it’s almost impossible. So there’s only one solution … hit the single’s bar.
Under the weight of her worries, Dani takes the advice of flirty pal Jennifer and ends up in a one-night fling. But, as can only happen in New Jersey and on TV—or maybe it’s in a TV version of New Jersey—that fling ends up being a good thing. The fellow she wakes up with turns out to be a nice-guy physical trainer for the footballing New York Hawks. And before you know it, Dr. Dani is introduced to the pro team’s coach and signs on to help his superstars work through their mental issues—on and off the field.
As the title might suggest, Dr. Dani (loosely based on real-life housewife-turned-therapist Donna Dannenfelser) has to deal with two rough worlds—the sports biz and single parenthood—all while being tough enough to give as good as she gets. To that end, star Callie Thorne delivers. She gives us a good, balanced portrayal of an edgy therapist and a frazzled mom who we can root for—even when the scriptwriting might make her actions seem just a bit too slapdash silly.
Too bad the show itself works against her, packing in quite a few extra problems in the form of foul language, skimpy costumes, girl-pawing sports stars, loose sexuality, and a mix of booze and drug consumption. Now, I’m not saying that kind of rough-edged content isn’t common in a pro-league locker room, singles club or strip joint (where some of the scenes are shot). What I’m saying is that it’s certainly worth questioning whether it’s necessary to get bounced around on your couch by that kind of roughness.
“Spinning Out”
The good Dr. D was hired by the team to look after players like superstar receiver Terrence King (T.K.). But the Hawks’ owner now wants her help with another of his sports interests. And so Dani heads off to aid a NASCAR driver who has lost his confidence. Her task? Figure out the reason behind the racer’s panic attacks, get him off his diet of vodka and pain pills, and push him back onto the track in 10 days.
The custody battle for her kids is simultaneously revving up, and a court-appointed official starts making unannounced home visits—one of which doesn’t go so well when she finds T.K. and his stripper girlfriend in the Santino living room. When the investigator catches the grounded Lindsay throwing a police-raided party, and Lindsay threatens to spill the beans on Ray’s condom stash, well, the skies get even darker for Dani.
And as if that weren’t enough, Dani also has to calm T.K.’s sibling rival-like battles with a team rookie—which includes cussing each other out and stealing each other’s girlfriends. Alcohol flows. And the words “h‑‑‑,” “a‑‑,” “d‑‑n,” “b‑‑ch” and misuses of Jesus’ name all show up for the party.
After spending more than two decades touring, directing, writing and producing for Christian theater and radio (most recently for Adventures in Odyssey, which he still contributes to), Bob joined the Plugged In staff to help us focus more heavily on video games. He is also one of our primary movie reviewers.
The good Doctor’s been flitting around time, space and the BBC since 1963. Now he’s also a fixture in the US, toting his curiously British brand of sci-fi in his highly mobile TARDIS. Just how safe is this contraption?
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