The rich can be a vulgar lot, especially those who build their fortune on fibs and fabrications. That's why this over-the-top lampoon gets away with being so garish. The Bluths are swells who've lost it all in an accounting shell game, and to see them scurry for cover is a joy. From Jessica Walters' haughty mom to Jeffrey Tambor's incarcerated dad, this ensemble cast is responsible for some of 2004's most vicious and witty quips. Raise a glass for season two.

Man, pop's a hard-ass, eh? But Paul Sr.'s well marketed aggravation is only meant to spur his hog-building boys onto higher heights, and it looks like the plan's working. Stressing his burly physique and blustery attitude, the fu-manchu'd patriarch of this New York motorcycle shop is a hero of all hands-on dads everywhere. And if you're wondering about how a zeitgeist works, sales of choppers are up across the country.

They tipple a bit, they party a lot, and no one would be shocked if they inhaled. Because they're under the scrutiny of every news agency in the world, their indiscretions resonate like they were Paris and Nicky. But give Barb and Jenna a break, willya? Everyone can't have that nerd-angel gene that Chelsea Clinton boasted. And anyone who can make Dick Cheney look as embarrassed as he did at their RNC speech (giving shout-outs to OutKast and Sex & amp; the City, y'all) can't be all bad.

Claire photographs the blood pools in the downstairs morgue, Keith avoids litigation for his life partner by bedding a haughty Hollywood type, George's son is in the habit of mailing feces to his dad. The action that centers around HBO's Fisher clan is built on a believable brand of surrealism that accents life's common flashpoints. How Alan Ball turned a soap opera into a piece of a poetry is anyone's guess, but the 2004 season assured viewers that he's responsible for one of the most indelible casts to ever grace the tube.

Whether romping on the pommel horse or twirling 'round the parallel bars, the Milwaukee twentysomethings were even cuter than the official Olympic mascot. After taking a tumble, Paul won the gold with an amazing come-from-behind performance and a judge's scoring error. Runner-up South Korea protested the decision, but gymnast Yang Tae-Young will have to make due with being the answer to a Trivial Pursuit question. In the end, both Hamms went home with the hardware so let's hear it for the boys!

Fraternity drives the basketball dynamic - five pals share the ball and shoulder the responsibility of winning. This year, Phil's family of overachievers came undone, with O'Neal and Bryant the L.A. Lakers' scrapping siblings. O'Neal said Bryant's legal woes hurt the team, then he dissed him on a rap album. Bryant called Shaq "fat." Ouch. Consider that a divorce, and expect plenty of thrown elbows when the pair collide on the parquet this season.

They released a forgettable movie, probably made another zillion dollars, and even went to college this year. The real life lesson for the Olsens, though, was about maturing in the spotlight. Ashley was treated for an eating disorder and every appearance of the girls in a New York Starbucks was seen as a sign they were dropping out. Growing up is hard to do - a Web site is even counting down the days until they turn 21.

This triumphant animated comedy has a few parallels to Meet the Parents, though Ben Stiller never had to explain why he turned into green ogre for love, and John Cleese seemed a nastier nut than De Niro himself. Kids adore "the greatest fairy tale never told," which is why this second Shrek installment was such a blockbuster, and why Dreamworks has a third edition being worked upon as you read this. There's power in numbers.

In Vegas it's a redheaded MILF who uses the lab to evaluate blood spatter just as well as she does rousting rogues on Glitter Gulch. In Miami, it's the former NYPD Blue stud who has raided Dirty Harry for pithy quips and a furrowed brow. And now, in the five boroughs, it's Forrest Gump's Lt. Dan looking chic whether he's addressing decapitation or bus-riding skeletons. Call it a franchise or a family, the Crime Scene Investigation clan is growing all the time.

The super blonde with the hit TV show and the yen for `80s power ballads had some competition from her bottle brunette sister, whose debut disc was powered by a tune that explained how she was sick of being the shadows of a golden haired sibling. As if there weren't enough action in the Simpson brood, manager/Dad Joe is pitching a reality show that finds him guiding the career of a surrogate offspring. Maybe he's trading in Ashlee after the lip-synching fiasco.