Necessary Roughness is a football drama that first aired on the USA network in June of 2011. The show was first called Dr. Donna. The executive producer is Kevin Dowling who also produced the shows Army Wives and Joan of Arcadia.

The main characters of the show are Danielle Santino (Callie Thorne) and Terrence King (Mehcad Brooks).
Danielle Santino is a Long Island therapist for a pro football team while dealing with her own issues i.e. being a divorced single mother of two teenagers.

Terrence King is a pro wide receiver who is a little mentally off balanced.

Necessary Roughnes is based on the true story about Dr. Donna Dannenfelser. She was a therapist from the New York Jets. She becomes one of the most sought after therapist in the world when she succeeds all of her expectations as a therapist.