TNN (rodeos)
TBS (nascar)
ESPN (racing)
ESPN2 (racing and once in a while rodeos)
Cartoon Network (fun)
In order of priority:
Cartoon Network (Dexter, Sheep, Powerpuffs, Cow & Chicken, Courage, Chuck Jones Show, Four Luxuriant Hours of Looney Tunes on Saturdays and Sundays!!)
History Channel (Modern Marvels, the World War II stuff)
New York One (local all-news - their slogan is “The only local news worth watching!” Sadly, it’s right. Only place to see local politics, budget issues, etc.)
VH1 (Pop Up Video, Behind the Music - my great sin)
TV Land (Mary, Retromercials - especially the Maxwell House ads)
When I got up earlier I also needed my Carol Burnett fix on USA. But USA has nothing else going for it, and they reduced her to a half-hour.
I’m glad to see that so many interesting, bright people picked Cartoon Network. My friends think I’m [Mr. Tudvold] a-luuuuuuney tuuuuunes![/Mr. Tudvold]. As it were.
Well, I get the East Coast and West Coast network affiliates, which I HAVE to have. But barring those, my “cable” choices would be:
FoxNews (That Shepard Smith and Bill O’Reilly! Oh! Tony Snow!) Never mind…I’m weird…
SciFi (Farscape, Quantam Leap, Invisible Man)
TVLand (Paul’s Ultimate Fan Hour - you NEVER know what he’ll pick!) Oh, and Beverly Hillbillies.
AMC (Old movies! Love 'em!)
TECHTV
History Channel (It was geeks like me they had in mind when they started it.)
Sci Fi (Mainly for Babylon 5.)
ESPN (Football, hockey.)
ESPN 2 (Football, hockey.)
Fox Sports (Penguins hockey.)
ESPN - Football, football, football.
ESPN2 - More football, more football, more football
HGTV - Norm, Steve, and Robin (less Dean please).
Food Network - Iron Chef, and anyone but godawful Emeril
Discovery Channel - There’s always something interesting on.
TLC
TDC
History
A&E
TNT (I know they have cheesy stuff, but what the hey.)
In no particular order:
Nickelodeon (Gotta have SpongeBob! And Angry Beavers.)
Cartoon Network (For the new stuff, not the @$%#! reruns.)
Independent Film Channel
Sundance Channel
I’ve never actually seen IFC or Sundance, but I like independent/underground/alternative films so I figure I’d like them.
Slot #5 has a lot of contenders, but I guess if I really had to pick it would be this one channel - I think it’s called the Cable Arts Network - it’s kinda like MTV for cultural snobs. Snippets from art documentaries or classical music or film scenes. I just dig watching it.
Lifetime (It is the most watched cable network)
A&E
Nickelodeon
TNT (because now they have Law & Order reruns too)
E!
A&E
HBO
Comedy Central
Fox News
Tossup Channel: A choice between Lifetime (occasional Golden Girls reruns are a good thing) Bravo, TLC, Food Network, Court TV (for the Homicide reruns only), TNT (for Law & Order, Pretender and ER reruns only), F/X (for The Practice reruns only) VH1 (I’m a sucker for Behind the Music) and MTV (sometimes there’s something worth watching – sometimes.)
Maybe channel #5 could be a potpourri channel that features different shows from all of my tossup networks?
Gotta have my:
Animal Planet
Discovery
Fox (pretty much only for sunday though… and Dark Angel <drool>)
A&E
Comedy Central (South Park, I’m ashamed to admit)
I still get my cable modem with that though, right? 
Tough to choose, because there are few channels that I enjoy in their entirety, many that I enjoy for just a few shows, or sometimes, just one show. But, these are my top 5, all things considered:
Sci-Fi
The Food Network
TNT
A&E
TLC
Hmmm…does “cable” mean premium channels, or ones you can’t watch without having cable service? Reception is so poor here, I can’t get channels other than ABC, PBS and occasionally WNDS without a cable hook-up.
The only channels I actually watch are:
WB
Fox
FX
UPN
NBC
So I guess those would be my choices, regardless if they’re really “cable” or not since those and occasionally MTV and the Sci-fi channel are all I personally need. The bastards at our cable company won’t carry the Sundance Channel or M(tv)2 so I’m s.o.l. until they see the light. I miss those channels.
The five I must have:
ESPN
ESPN2
Fox Sports
Food Network
MTV2
Honorable mentions: Travel Channel, Game Show Network, and HBO
Comedy Central ( I gotta watch Whose Line Is It Anyway?)
Fox News Channel (I know, but I’m a conservative, and I like it better.)
TV Land
The Weather Channel (I’m a farmer and I rely on the weather a lot)
MSNBC (I like to watch Imus In The Morning, and that’s pretty much it. Chris Matthews yells too much, and seems obsessed with John McCain.)
Here’s my five:
Cartoon Network
BBC America-- I don’t even have to hate A&E any more, since BBC America shows Monty Python and Blackadder for me
VH1
MTV-- I don’t even like MTV…but Daria is one of my favorite shows
Food Network
I would like to replace MTV with programming from my local channels when Daria isn’t on, though. I’m addicted to those cheesy “Judge ______” shows. They’re a thousand times more enjoyable than the endless reruns of Real World or Road Rules.
jessica
ESPN
The Game Show Network
Comedy Central
Fox
TNN (for the rest of NASCAR season anyways…)
ESPN
Comedy Central
TNT
A&E
Fox Sports West
In order of value:
-
Sci-Fi
-
Comedy Central
-
Fox News
-
A&E
-
The Learning Channel
I watch others, but if I HAD to choose, it’d be those.