Several months ago, I wrote a feature showcasing the sexiest women in film. It was a piece that generated much praise, an array of curse words that were new to me, but more than anything, it triggered an outpouring of fierce debate over who made the list, who didn't and whose legs out sexed who. I promised I'd return to highlight the stunning ladies of music and television when the time was right, so today I park myself on the sofa, flipper in hand, to give the scintillating beauties of the small screen their just due. So before we get to the list that sparks girlfriends into a jealous rage, its time to lay the ground rules and highlight the criteria used for selecting this esteemed field. First, the actress must be currently on the active roster for their respective series. That's why you don't have no-brainers of the past like Jessica Alba, Elisha Cuthbert or Jennifer Aniston poking up here. TV may have been the thing that lit their career, but they've decided to test their swimming skills in the shark tank. Next, sexy encompasses everything from acting skills (sorry Pamela) and character presence to career prospects and how close they come to overheating your television set. Whether they cavort around in lingerie seducing their male lead or leave a bit to the imagination, preferring to wear a gunnysack, all of these ladies are spread with the icing of sex appeal from head to toe. You won't find a tastier group of women in the television universe. Without further ado, here are the ladies that light up our lives.

I don't know if you've noticed yet, but it's starting to feel a tad bit nipply out. That, of course, signals the big man in the red suit is gearing up for his annual breaking and entering, pigskin extravaganza reaches a heinous roar and hapless TV execs take yet another jab at justifying their salaries after a poor fall showing. January is fast approaching, and a whole new crop of dramas, comedies and faux reality series rush to our TV sets, longing to be the next Desperate Housewives, yet each are two episodes away from being mounted beneath the guillotine. What can I say? The fickle American public is thirsty for blood. Can you blame them? You can't throw this much garbage at anyone and expect them not to get tired of taking out the trash. So this time around, they try to plug the gapping holes in their line-ups by assaulting us with star firepower (Jenna Elfman, Heather Graham, Vanessa Williams), dancing and skating with celebs, not to mention yet another Law & Order-esque rip-off. Better start digging those holes in the TV graveyard because in a few short months, we're going to need them.

'Iconish' (as Jessica Simpson would say) television comedy just hasn't been the same since the fall of the mighty NBC "must-see" line-up that let our remotes rest on Thursday nights. Did they truly think the Joanie Loves Chachi-esque Joey could really anchor their continued dominance? Don't even get me started on NBC ditching its best comedy, Scrubs, from their fall line-up. What are we to do without our Friends or the immortal Seinfeld to keep us wobbling off the couch from fits of sidesplitting laughter? Oh, the humanity! What would you do if I told you there was a show just as fun as Friends with that special quirky innovation of Seinfeld all wrapped up into one nice, neat little package? Now granted it's cancelled too, but it's British, available on DVD, so it's all new to you. It's called Coupling and it's just the swift kick-start your funny bone has been jonesing for.

If you are anything like me, some days you just want to take that glowing box in your living room and chunk it out the window (note: if the television is over 50 pounds, have a friend help you with the chunking process). How is it bloody possible to have a gazillion channels, and nothing is even remotely watchable? I mean when I was ten, I used to come home and glue my eyeballs to the tube for hours at a time watching the Smurfs, Transformers, G.I. Joe and sometimes losing the battle with my sister over Care Bears. The thing was like an I.V. filled with cultural filler that I would lap up every juicy morsel. Today, I'm lucky if I can scrape together 30 minutes of remotely interesting programming between the reality trash and the disposable network clutter. Usually, I don't even take up the fight with the remote, instead popping in a DVD to call it a night. With great shows like Six Feet Under and Queer as Folk locking themselves in the vaults of TV history the choices have grown even more painfully slim. So why should you pay you're cable bill this month instead of blowing it at the strip club? Wait a minute. Are those my choices?

"This show is too tame and restrained. They are so concerned about offending minorities that any life has been neutered right out of the show. This one belongs on a family oriented network like the UPN." This is a group of words you will never see in a write-up concerning either version of the Office. The edgy comedy that belongs on cable, yet somehow bravely stands in NBC's Tuesday night line-up, is a witty look at cubicle dwelling America. We just saw the abbreviated first season of NBC's mockumentary wrap a week ago. So the burning question presents itself, how does the ailing peacock network's take, stand up to the original BBC version? Put the kids to bed, feed the mutt and gather round the telly because we've got a showdown for the ages brewing here.

The major networks are starting to wear their lack of innovation like proud scar. It was recently announced that the Law & Order franchise would be spinning off again into a new series "Trial by Jury". That makes 4 active Law & Order shows that seem to be competing with CSI to see how finely they can slice their success before it disappears completely.