"America's Toughest Jobs": Further proof that NBC is morphing into a cable channel

"America's Toughest Jobs" (8 p.m. CT Monday, NBC) is a competition show from Thom Beers, the producer behind such cable TV hits as "Ice Road Truckers," "Black Gold" and "Deadliest Catch." Think of it as a cross between those shows and "Dirty Jobs," only with 12 amateurs competing to see who can drill oil, drive long haul and extreme-fish the best.

They'll also chop wood (a la "Ax Men"), work on construction projects ("L.A. Hard Hats") and fend off charging bull (every Thom Beers press conference ever).

The question is why an alleged big-time broadcast network is using, in effect, ideas viewers have already seen on cable for years, just because Beers has joined it to an "Apprentice"-style reality competition format. To hear Beers describe it to critics at press tour last month, this was an idea so big that only NBC could afford to do it. From my perspective, it certainly may have cost NBC more money to make than two full seasons of "Ice Road Truckers" set back the History channel (co-owned, incidentally, by NBC). But "more" does not mean better, or smarter, or compelling...er.

Frankly, when it comes to America's toughest jobs, I'd rather watch the folks who are actually paid to do them, day in and day out, not some Wall Street investment banker who wants to drive his testosterone level to new highs.

If you missed my story about Thom Beers, the creator of these manly-man TV hits, read it now.