Are you tough enough? If not, no problem. There are plenty of tough guys to live through vicariously on TV.

From lumberjacks to king crab fishermen, workers risking life and limb at dangerous jobs, adventurers relying on survival skills in the wilderness and hard-hitting mixed martial arts fighters are becoming unlikely stars of increasingly popular, testosterone-fueled programming.

Call it tough-guy TV — a genre that's more real than most reality shows, typically blending documentary-style storytelling with action, drama and jocular humor, and stretching from the roiling Arctic seas to bloodied cagefighting rings.

In programming parlance, most are best known as docusoaps. Think Discovery Channel's "Survivorman," not CBS' "Survivor," starring tough guys, not wannabes.

"These shows have become a phenomenon," said John Ford, president of Discovery Channel, whose burgeoning tough-guy slate includes fishing saga "Deadliest Catch," among cable TV's highest-rated unscripted series (averaging 3.4 million viewers this season). "The common DNA is men in extremely difficult, real-world situations who manage to get through with intelligence and toughness. We call them ingenuityunder-pressure shows."

From niche cable channels to major broadcast networks, showcasing tough guys is helping to snare hard-to-reach young males who are bypassing "celebutainment" and scripted programming for the thrills of Fox's "Cops" and the stressed-out angst of History Channel's "Ice Road Truckers."

"Tough-guy TV is our bread and butter; viewers are fanatical and loyal," said History Channel's Nancy Dubuc, who green-lit "Truckers" and "Ax Men," the top series in History history (3.2 million and 2 million viewers respectively). "There's a nostalgia and romance that speaks to where we were as a country and a desire to rally around our heritage. These shows help do that."

"People crave authenticity they're not finding on sitcoms or most reality TV," said Mike Rowe, the George Plimpton-style host of the Discovery hit "Dirty Jobs," which tracks professions from billboard installer to roadkill cleaner. "I suspect viewers aren't just responding to people being tough, but people being authentic and willing to assume risk to earn a living."

Among tough-guy TV fans: actor/producer Denis Leary of the FX dramedy "Rescue Me." "If there's a show about guys who can throw rocks 20 yards, I'd watch it," Leary said. "I hope they have 'Celebrity Ice Road Truckers.' I'd do it."

Widening fan appeal has made obscure tough guys like "Deadliest Catch" boat skipper Sig Hansen into heroes and celebrities. "I think people like the fact you're not trying to bull---- anyone," said the fourth-generation fisherman. "This is serious business."

HAND-TO-HAND COMBAT

A growing fan base has turned mixed-martial arts into big business, one that's spreading beyond cable's wilder borders onto broadcast networks. Enthusiasm for the fight spectacles on Showtime and Spike has prompted corporate sibling CBS to pick up contests for four Saturday nights, starting May 31.

"Shows that can reach young male eyeballs are getting tougher and tougher," said Kelly Kahl, CBS' prime-time programming chief. "We've seen the numbers these shows do on Showtime, Spike and elsewhere. This is a sport that's growing at an exponential pace."

Not everyone is thrilled. CBS chairman Sumner Redstone recently chastised the network's execs for not consulting him about scheduling the fights. But Spike and Showtime have aired mixed-martial arts fights — which combine wrestling, boxing, kickboxing, judo and karate — for some time. "We saw the demographics and jumped in," said Ken Hershman, head of Showtime's sports and event programming. "Ratings are up significantly, and there are more 18- to 34-year-olds than we get for boxing."

Showtime sibling BET rolled out "Iron Ring" in March. It's mixed-martial arts infused with Hollywood, sports and hip-hop. "We love tough guys," said BET entertainment chief Reginald Hudlin. "It's a natural for BET, particularly since you have participation of people of color."

While tough-guy TV's collective weekly audience is a fraction of a lone "American Idol" episode, strong growth has led to development of more than a dozen new series.

On Thursday, History Channel premiered "Tougher in Alaska," which looks at jobs on America's last frontier; the network's fall lineup has the underground construction worker series "Sandhogs."

National Geographic Channel launched "America's Port," an insider's view of the Port of Los Angeles, April 6. TruTV plans a summer launch of the oil rig workers saga "Black Gold." In July, Speed TV starts "Wrecked," which rolls with the employees of a Chicago towing service. "We think it has potential," said programming chief Bob Ecker. "There's a vicarious thrill watching things inherently dangerous."

In April, SpikeTV launched its insider's look at the Drug Enforcement Administration's Detroit bureau, "DEA." "Guys like truth and honesty, a place where they aren't being lied to, where they can gain information without having to be emotionally involved," said Tim Duffy, production chief at guy-centric Spike.

Shows focusing on deadbeat dad chasers, stuntmen, demolition experts, escape artists, salvagers and others are in the works.

Yet while most aim for men, there's widening appeal among kids and women. Take Discovery's "Man vs. Wild" — featuring the appropriately named survival expert Bear Grylls. "I hear more of 'I watch this show with my son or daughter' than any other," Ford said. "There's a magic that crosses generational and demographic lines."

Discovery's "Survivorman," featuring Canadian survival instructor Les Stroud, also has broad viewer appeal. Stroud is a virtual one-man show, filming himself without food, water and shelter on seven-day trips to deserts, tundra and forests.

"There's that 'I wonder if I can do this?' that speaks to all of us. I made it for adults, but it's been a huge hit with kids," Stroud said.

THE KING OF TOUGH TV

At a time when many workers are pushing papers or are computer-bound working in soulless offices, tough-guy shows also tap into escapism atypical of traditional TV.

"Most men go to jobs with no joy or passion. More and more, men want to be men," said Thom Beers, the TV tough-guy kingpin behind several of the genre's hits, including "Deadliest Catch," "Ice Road Truckers" and "Ax Men."

Beers' Original Productions has a four-show prime-time development deal with NBC. It's co-producing "America's Toughest Jobs," scheduled for NBC's summer 2009 lineup. "People resonate with this stuff because there's a real curiosity about people working with their hands and making something. That's kind of gotten lost as we've sent labor and manufacturing overseas," Beers said.

To be sure, not all tough-guy shows have earned a soft spot among viewers. Beers' "Lobster Wars," patterned after "Deadliest Catch," sank last summer. His WE TV storm chaser "Twister Sisters" — featuring tough women — fizzled.

Moreover, tough guys have also come under scrutiny. Grylls, an ex-British Army survival expert, took some grilling last year after revelations that he wasn't totally roughing it, spending downtime in hotels while some "Wild" shows implied he was wilderness-bound. But he's back for a new season.

"The show isn't actually about me, but what it brings out in people," said Grylls, who dines on animal carcasses and live reptiles on "Wild." "People want an inside window on what they have to do."

Other tough-guy stars are drawing the attraction of Hollywood and Madison Avenue, which could turn off some viewers. Rowe of "Dirty Jobs," for example, has been pitching Ford trucks. The onetime opera singer and talk show host has a book deal and said he's in demand for "wildly overpaid" speeches at Fortune 500 company gatherings. As far as other TV, "every reality producer has called," Rowe said.

"Deadliest Catch" skipper Hansen's celebrity status, solidified by appearances on "The Tonight Show With Jay Leno" and "Martha Stewart," have brought offers to star in a TV mattress ad. He laughed that one off, but he has developed a "Deadliest Catch" Xbox 360 game and is marketing his own coffee brand.

Commercially diluted images aside, tough-guy TV will likely remain a growth industry. Low production costs and the appeal to a core demographic are likely to keep the genre viable, especially compared with scripted series. "If you have a show that costs a quarter to produce, even if it draws a third of the audience, it makes sense as an economic and creative model," Beers said.

That underscores why some TV execs are airing tough-guy shows that border on silliness. "TV is a pack medium; it's a business where people see good ideas and rush toward them," said Discovery's Ford.

Spike's Duffy has heard pitches from the absurd to disgusting, including extreme janitors and crime scene cleaners.

Then there's the seemingly mundane: A&E's "Parking Wars" follows Philadelphia Parking Authority workers. Discovery's latest Beers offering is "Verminators," which tracks pest-busters.

"I don't think the concept has peaked yet," Beers said. "There are incredible worlds still out there. The key is finding them, casting them and telling a good story around them."