On a recent “South Park,” the gang warned against the encroaching takeover of American television by the state of New Jersey. They may have overlooked an even bigger threat. “Gold Rush: Alaska” (9 p.m., Discovery) becomes the latest, but hardly the last, new cable series set in America’s 49th state. Discovery will premiere “Flying Wild Alaska” on Jan. 5. Who knew “Ice Road Truckers” would kick off such a big trend?

“Gold Rush” combines all the right ingredients for a successful manly-man cable series. It’s got tough guys, big trucks, even bigger rigs, earth-moving equipment, guns, danger, occasional fights, male bonding, temper tantrums, misunderstandings, intimidation, cliche-ridden narration and a strong whiff of desperation.

“Gold Rush” begins not in Alaska, but in rural Oregon where a number of handymen with facial hair find themselves out of luck and out of options. A private airport run by a father and son has been devastated by the economic downturn, so they decide to pool their resources and recruit local mechanics and truck drivers in similar straits. Together, they lease a plot of land in Alaska with the picturesque name of Porcupine Creek. Folks have been prospecting there since the last turn of the century. But never with the kind of gear these guys have assembled.

But first they must move it thousands of miles, by truck and by barge. Their mechanical Noah’s ark adventure is not without setbacks, blow-outs and the kind of mini-dramas that provide for suspense between commercial breaks.

Every week promises to offer similar heartaches and triumphs and tales of man vs. machine vs. Mother Nature vs. cabin fever. And I’m not even getting to the bears. Put a bunch of antsy, down-on-their-luck guys with little mining experience in subarctic conditions, and add heavy machinery and plenty of guns. What could go wrong?

• “Deadly Descent” (9 p.m., Science) offers a glimpse at the forbidding world of caves located at the bottom of the ocean.

l Suspended from the force, Jack and Dan’s freelance work sparks a prison break on “The Good Guys” (7 p.m., Fox). In a second episode, (8 p.m.), the guys try to prevent a gang war. Fox will air two more episodes next Friday, including the “season” finale that looks very much like the end for the series.

• Host Joel McHale glances back at the first 300 episodes of “The Soup” (9 p.m., E!). Special guests include “Soup” regulars and favorites including Seth Green and Sanjaya.

Tonight’s other highlights

• Allison’s visions tell her that a train “accident” was anything but on “Medium” (7 p.m., CBS).

• A teacher (Nancy Travis) discovers a new perspective in the 2010 made-for-TV drama “A Walk in My Shoes” (7 p.m., NBC).

• Nothing’s sacred in the 1979 biblical spoof “Monty Python’s Life of Brian” (7:25 p.m., IFC).

• “Garage Mahal” (7:30 p.m., DIY) cobbles together a carport with a racing theme.

• A holiday display window becomes a crime scene on “CSI:NY” (8 p.m., CBS)

• A posh club’s doorman expires under fishy circumstances on “Blue Bloods” (9 p.m., CBS).