Regardless of whether you're shopping for a hard-to-please "mad man," the "family guy" who brings home the bacon or your favorite "gossip girl," you'll find some terrific holiday gift ideas as close as your TV set. And you don't even need cable to get started.

That ABC fan on your list will be dancing with glee (and getting into better shape) thanks to the new "Dancing With the Stars — We Dance!" game for Wii and Nintendo DS or the "Dancing With the Stars: Latin Cardio Dance" DVD, either of which will make those shirts from "Grey's Anatomy," "Lost" and "Ugly Betty" more comfy as you settle in to watch new DVD sets of "Desperate Housewives" and other network hits.

From Fox, you have the option of going interactive with friends with Karaoke Revolution's new "American Idol Encore 2" game for Xbox 360, Wii or PlayStation 3, or lounging around in your Evil Stewie robe from "Family Guy" or your "I Heart Jack Bauer" women's T-shirt from "24" while playing the "Are You Smarter Than a 5th Grader — Make the Grade" PC game or just grooming your Bart Chia Pet from "The Simpsons."

Just in time for those New Year's resolutions, NBC ponies up "Jillian Michaels' Fitness Ultimatum 2009" for Wii, along with "The Biggest Loser"-themed workout mix tapes in different music categories, a family cookbook and a BodyBugg Mini weight-loss system, while fans of "The Office" have their pick of board and DVD games, calendars and the latest season on DVD. And while ratings for "Heroes" may be down, the gift tie-ins are still super, including action figures, books, the original soundtrack and the season two DVD. Also worth noting: Frequent "Today" contributor Peter Greenberg's book "Don't Go There," his guide to "must-miss" locations, which is sure to please that friend who can't afford to go anywhere anyway.

From CBS come the "CSI: Crime Scene Investigation" DVD game and the "Million Dollar Password" hand-held electronic game, along with a "Survivor: Gabon" T-shirt and cute "I Love Lucy" Lucy and Ethel dolls re-creating the classic "Job Switching" episode. Titles from sister network The CW include season three of "Supernatural" in Blu-ray format and a "Gossip Girl Never Have I Ever" game.

Regardless of the source, items for kids dominate any holiday list, however, and you'll enchant any Pottermaniac on your gift list with the much-in-demand new "Harry Potter" edition of the classic board game Clue or the hefty DVD gift set of "Harry Potter Years 1-5."

For little girls, "Strawberry Shortcake" items are hotter than ever this season, with a "Strawberry Shortcake Berry, Merry Christmas" CD and DVD among a long line of multimedia releases. Also hot (but, of course, uncooked) are keychains, coin purses, plush toys and a lunchbox, among other items, from the offbeat CBS Saturday hit "Sushi Pack."

Available exclusively from select Disney Store locations (call 800-757-5933 for the nearest store address) come items such as a Hannah Montana MP3 video camera and fashion designer kit and a Camp Rock Electronic Drum Set for that Jonas Brothers fan on your list.

The extensive "Bakugan Battle Brawlers" product line from Cartoon Network includes action figures, the Battle Arena and collectible cards, while the same channel also offers "Ben 10 Alien Force" for Wii and DS and Kevin Levin's action cruiser toy, plus a wall calendar and apparel from "Mr. Men/Little Miss" and "Pokemon" trading cards in a tin box, among an extensive line of other products.

As always, "SpongeBob SquarePants" this season generates several memorably whimsical gift prospects, such as the SpongeBob Speakers and Sponge Dock for digital audio players, SpongeBob SquarePants Silly Talk plush toy, the Super Slimer toy (extra slime sold separately, of course) and the "SpongeBob: Drawn to Life" video game.

Other video games likely to sell briskly over the holidays are "Avatar: The Last Airbender — Into the Inferno" for Wii, "Viva Pinata Pocket Paradise — Viva Pinata" for Nintendo DS and "Tak and the Guardians of Gross" for Wii and PlayStation 2. And, while Halloween has come and gone, R.L. Stine fans are bound to go for the "Goosebumps Horrorland" game for PlayStation 2.

For girls, the breakout hit "iCarly" has generated products such as the iCarly Digital Camcorder with Digital Diary Software and an iCarly PC Web Cam with Digital Diary Software, along with a DVD set of season one, volume one from the TV series.

You don't need to go ultrahigh-tech to please small fry, though, who will revisit the seven-disk set of "Shelley Duvall's Faerie Tale Theatre" again and again, as well as the "Treasury of 100 Storybook Classics" in a new 16-DVD thin-pack format to fit any bookshelf. Kids also will love the extensive line of "VeggieTales" toys, books and DVDs, including a holiday pack of titles that include "The Toy That Saved Christmas."

To make a child's gift more personal, consider Kodak's new line of photo cards and photo books that incorporate the illustrations from such beloved Eric Carle children's books as "The Very Hungry Caterpillar" (which just marked its 40th anniversary) and "Brown Bear, Brown Bear, What Do You See?"

PBS continues to produce incomparable kids shows and some incomparably popular product tie-ins, such as the Sesame Street "Learn to Play" Guitar and a 2.5-gallon fish tank, plus a Super Grover Building Set and an Oscar the Grouch tin wastebasket from the show. For kids who enjoy more eclectic content, the "Sesame Street Playground" CD/DVD set features songs and music videos from around the world.

Also from PBS: "Bob the Builder: Can-Do Zoo" CD-ROM and the Sing and Celebrate Barney plush toy for that dino-loving child (or the adult frenemy you want to drive insane).

Parents have come to trust Discovery Kids to devise gifts that are both entertaining and educational. Among the best this season: The Discovery Kids Smart Animals, an electronic toy for ages 3 and up that teaches kids about their favorite animals, and The Discovery Kids Glow Star Globe, an Earth globe that transforms into an illustrated, glow-in-the-dark star map, teaching kids about both astronomy and geography.

Speaking of stars, the success of "Clone Wars" both in theaters and on Cartoon Network has inspired the new "Clone Wars: Tactics" trading card game, but "Star Trek" fans are also in luck with the Star Trek TOS Communicator toy and "Star Trek: Alternative Realities," a DVD collection of especially bizarre "Trek" episodes in which characters are, you know, not quite themselves. As for "Battlestar Galactica," there's a new board game as well as a Cylon toaster (fans will enjoy the joke). And if you like your sci-fi with the accent on, um, accents, go for the latest complete season sets of Brit hits "Doctor Who" and "Torchwood."

Also from the far side of the pond come the "Agatha Christie Mystery Lover's Collection" of DVDs, as well as "Agatha Christie's Poirot: The Definitive Collection," "P.D. James: The Essential Collection," "The Duchess of Duke Street: The Complete Collection" and the massive "The Adventure Collection," which includes "Horatio Hornblower," "Longitude," "Napoleon" and "Shackleton," among other titles.

Hey there, sports fans, you haven't been forgotten either, especially if you're a New York Yankees fan. "Yankee Stadium: The Official Retrospective" is the only book about Yankee Stadium that is licensed by the Yankees organization, with an introduction by George Steinbrenner and more than 150 photos, never before published, along with dozens of first-person accounts.

In the same ballpark, figuratively speaking, are jewelry and glassware items from the New York Giants Super Bowl XLII Tiffany's Collection and, from ESPN, the ESPN Jeopardy game, an extensive line of X Games apparel, a SportsCenter Fans keepsake ornament and other DVDs and books.

Foodies on your gift list will eat up any of the Food Network line of items, ranging from a Rachael Ray baking dish set and a Bobby Flay seasoning set from his Mesa Grill to a Jamie Oliver Big Boy portable grill and a highly caloric collection of Dixie darling Paula Deen's food favorites.

In fact, you'll also find such reality TV-inspired fare as a Team Lauren T-shirt from "The Hills" and apparel from TLC hits "L.A. Ink" and "Miami Ink," a "Cash Cab" trivia board game, the "Deadliest Catch — Alaskan Storm" video game for Xbox 360 and, from History, the "American Originals" DVD megaset, including such hits as "Ice Road Truckers," "Ax Men" and "Tougher in Alaska."