Following suit of hit shows like Hell’s Kitchen and Top Chef, NBC debut its own incarnation tonight (March 11th) called The Chopping Block. Those of you whom have been sitting in a depression induced comatose since the season finale of Top Chef are saved.

Hosted by Chef Marco Pierre White (who is as well known in Britain as his former protégé, Gordon Ramsay) the show offers a refreshing new format. The two teams of 16 contestants are made up of pairs — married couples, siblings, mothers and daughters — and they all have hard-luck stories and financial hurdles that lend a virtuous streak to their quests to open restaurants in New York. Kind of invokes that movie cliché’ of the Midwestern girl who packs it all up and moves to the big city in search of her dreams! Wait, no maybe, it definitely does. Where I typically expect white uniform donned snarling chefs, I find that NBC’s franchise lends itself to a more “The Biggest Loser” persona - with constant flashbacks and over the top montages of tears and triumph. Sigh. As corny as it sounds, it all actually works together in a batch of warm gooey reality TV goodness.

This new reality television enterprise also offers one great interesting twist. The show isn’t so much about slicing and dicing while being berated like a Marine. In additional to the prep and pot handling, each team on “The Chopping Block” is assigned to restore an abandoned restaurant. It’s an interesting turn, especially in our recession blanketed economy where restaurants are dropping like the Dow.

All in all, the venture looks to be promising. I’d really prefer if Chef White would swear a little though, gourmet food without profanity is like a Sunday without a hangover. It just doesn’t feel right.