Cowboy Bebop deserves all the praise it receives. This show can be appreciated by almost anyone, regardless of their feelings towards anime in general. I have heard a number of times from people who dislike anime that they really enjoyed these 26 short sessions of brilliance. There are of course a few (very few) episodes that don't measure up well against the others but all in all every episode is entertaining.
Jazz, film noir, the golden age of cinema...I would use these words to describe Cowboy Bebop. To get the feeling of this show, think of movies like Casablanca, Brick, Swingers...you get the point.
It's also worth mentioning this show's dubbed voice-overs are some of the best in all anime (dub voices or original). One of the few I prefer to watch in the English version.
You have to give this one a try