does your tv support s video in that has 7 pins 3 on top 4 on bottom (either way i forgot which is top or bottom) if not you might have to use the yellow RCA connector which is the one you plug on most vhs and dvd for normal tv like white red and yellow.
Yep, just plug them in, push the tv/video button on your TV, and you should see your desktop on your TV. If not, you may need to enable external video on your laptop by pushing the appropriate function combo (on my HP, it's FN+F4).
Just remember that if you have an older TV, you probably won't be able to make out the font unless you drop the resolution to below 640x480. So you may have to tweak some settings on your laptop to get an optimal view.