Print ad for GM’s Inside the Vault TV show

To the casual observer, it might seem that there are plenty of TV shows for Manly Men to watch. Need explosions? Try any of CSI‘s 31 flavors. Detective sleuthing? There’s an entire Law and Order franchise waiting. Hunting and sports are featured on dozens of cable channels (plus the new The Drivers^[1] TV show), G4 covers gadgets and games (as does the new “Mo Show^[2]“). There are even a number of food-related programs for guys — usually the sort that involves corn-fed types downing stomach-churning meals, but hey, it’s a start.

But despite all the televisual testosterone on tap, General Motors thinks there’s room for one more manly show on the airwaves. And so, Inside the Vault^[3] is born.

Inside the Vault is a new, weekly, half-hour program hosted by Cris Collinsworth from NBC sports. Riding shotgun, Cris has brought along Jill Wagner (former spokesmodel for Mercury and one-time cast member of Punk’d), as well as comic/motorcycle enthusiast, Alonzo Bodden. Together, they’ll cover…well, let’s let the show’s website blurb speak for itself:

Inside The Vault is an engaging new series that explores what excites, inspires and drives today’s man. From his appetite for the finest food and drink, his love of sports and his fashion sense to his gadget obsessions and travel exploits, a whole lot of ground will be uncovered.

(The metaphor is usually about ground being “covered”, but maybe this show is so manly that even grass runs in fear.)

Of course, since GM is underwriting the Inside the Vault, you’d expect to hear a good bit about cars — and you will, in a weekly segment called “In Gear”. Sadly, there’s no preview clip of that feature just yet, but given some of the special guests the show’s lined up, we expect it should be very entertaining. Perhaps even more so than Top Gear USA^[4]. In fact, almost certainly more so.

Inside the Vault officially launches this Friday, February 4 on a select group of TV stations across the U.S. To find out if it’s available where you live, visit InsideTheVault.tv^[5] and enter your ZIP code in the search form at the top of the page. (If your cable provider doesn’t carry it, not to worry: episodes will be available on the website and on social media sites like Facebook and YouTube.)

If you’d like to check a very short preview clip of the show or scan GM’s official press release, have a look below:

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DETROIT – General Motors is teaming up with a variety of media partners to create a new TV series aimed at entertaining and informing today’s “classic” man.

“Inside the Vault,” which begins airing on WGN America and 18 Tribune broadcast affiliates this Friday (Feb. 4), will showcase stories, insights and conversation, providing a variety of perspectives on how men live today.

“New times call for new approaches,” said GM’s Global Chief Marketing Officer Joel Ewanick.  “’Inside the Vault’ represents an exciting and different avenue for Chevrolet, Buick, GMC and Cadillac to connect with audiences and create an environment that is different from anything that’s being done in TV today.”

“Inside the Vault” will present a variety of topics relevant to men; episode themes will include gadgets, travel, fitness, food and sports. The series includes lifestyle segments from experts at Conde Nast, with automotive editorial provided by Source Interlink, the publisher behind Motor Trend magazine.