“Are you in or are you out?”

That’s one of Tony Robbins’ key questions to those he tries to help. The self-improvement coach and best-selling author is no stranger to viewers, but after numerous infomercials, he’s tackling television in a different way. He puts his strategies to work for a person, couple or family each week in “Breakthrough With Tony Robbins,” an unscripted NBC series that premieres Tuesday.

“It’s a privilege to be in prime time,” the ever-energetic Robbins says. “Even though there’s a big change in how people watch television – some watch it on their DVRs or on the Web – there’s still such a giant TV audience, I really wanted to do this. I think people need an alternative to the nature of news these days. I want to balance some of the fear that’s out there with something inspirational.”

The debut of “Breakthrough” showcases Frank and Kristen Alioto, whose wedding at a Mexican resort ended in a tragic twist of fate. Frank playfully jumped into a swimming pool to join Kristen and friends … and broke his neck, landing him in a wheelchair. A year later, Robbins flies the spouses to his private island in Fiji.

“I’m not the Messiah, that’s for sure,” Robbins stresses, “but I got this couple out of the house. That was a big step in itself. I said to this man, ‘It’s not what you have; it’s who you are and how you live.’ By the end of this story, he’s doing things he didn’t even do before the accident.”

“Breakthrough” offers clearly spelled-out “steps” in the course of each hour, such as “Redefine What Is Possible.” In Frank’s case, that means undertaking sky diving, with Kristen making the same leap – literally.

“I don’t know if people need a Tony Robbins,” the show’s host demurs, “but I think they need to remember who they are. I used to do a weeklong seminar where I’d bring in a series of people who have been to hell and back. There was a guy who was locked up in Vietnam very much like John McCain and beaten every day, and he came out happier than he could possibly imagine.

“I look at this not so much as ‘The Tony Robbins Show’ but a show about others’ breakthroughs. I might be like the Wizard of Oz, the guy helping out a bit in the background, but you get to see real people making their own changes. It was a matter of designing a format that brings out their strengths and helps them remember what they’re capable of, or at least gives them a chance to do that. And I hope it makes us remember what we’re all capable of as well.”