If your laptop has DVI and your TV has DVI

If your laptop has DVI and your TV has DVI, then just get a DVI to DVI cable. If your laptop has DVI and your TV has HDMI you can get a DVI to HDMI cable or adaptor (if you get the adaptor then you'll need a HDMI cable as well). This will only carry video though.

If your laptop has VGA and your TV has VGA you can get a VGA to VGA cable. If your laptop has VGA and your TV has Component, you can get a VGA to component cable. If your TV has either DVI or HDMI you can get a VGA to DVI adaptor and then use a DVI to DVI cable or DVI to HDMI cable (Depending on the situation). Any of these solutions will just carry video. Some examples,

http://www.amazon.com/12ftVGA-component-...
http://www.amazon.com/DVI-VGA-CABLE-6-ft...
(careful with these in terms of male and female ends)
http://www.amazon.com/Belkin-PureAV-AV22...

If you end up with one of the video only scenarios, then you need to deal with audio with another cable. In this case the easiest solution is a stereo mini to RCA cable. You stick the stereo mini end into your laptop's audio out (or headphone jack if that's all you have) and the RCA ends into the RCA inputs which correspond to the video option that you have used (HDMI, DVI, or VGA). Just make sure you put the RCA ends into the right ports on the TV (each port may have its own associated RCA inputs). Here's one example, http://www.amazon.com/HOSA-CMR206-Stereo...

Oh and if you do have a VGA connection, you can also go VGA straight to HDMI with a convertor box. You want a VGA cable to go into the convertor box. And a stereo mini to RCA cable to go into the convertor box. Then an HDMI cable to go out from the convertor box (and into your TV). Here's one example to get you started,