On a night of movies, marathons and New Year’s Eve madness, two specials stand out.

Fox offers four opportunities to catch up with its innovative comedy “Arrested Development” (TV-PG). Jason Bateman stars as the harried good son in a completely irresponsible clan of rich folks beset by serious dysfunction and the incarceration of the family patriarch (Jeffrey Tambor).

On tonight’s episodes, Michael falls for his brother’s girl (7 p.m.); Michael fights for the family firm (7:30 p.m.); Lucille takes on her romantic rival (8 p.m.); and a pathetic charity auction (8:30 p.m.).

• End the year with something truly different. Don’t miss the “Adult Swim” (10 p.m., Cartoon Network) New Year’s Eve bash. The “Adult Swim” cartoon series was developed by the network in 2001 to attract the young adult viewers who generally don’t even turn their televisions on until after primetime ends. The cartoons are clever, sometimes racy and always very strange.
• Looking for more traditional New Year’s Eve fare? There’s always:

“Dick Clark’s New Year’s Rockin’ Eve 2004” (9 p.m., ABC) features clips from KISS, Bon Jovi, Elton John, Avril Lavigne and other acts.

Hilary Duff hosts “New Year’s Eve 2004” (9:30 p.m., MTV).

Ryan Seacrest hosts “America’s Party” (10 p.m., Fox), featuring performances from Ashanti, Metallica, Puddle of Mudd, Hootie and the Blowfish, Keith Urban, DJ Funkmaster Flex and rap artists Westside Connection.

Tonight’s other highlights

• Repeat stories scheduled on “60 Minutes II” (7 p.m., CBS): vintage home movies of Frank Sinatra; interviews with Sting and Toby Keith.
• “The Most Outrageous Moments on Live TV” (7 p.m., NBC) offers gaffes from celebrities and VIPs, including President George Bush and Britain’s Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher.
• Omar Epps stars in the 2000 romance “Love and Basketball” (7 p.m., WB).
• Lewis Black hosts “World Comedy Tour” (8 p.m., Comedy Central).
• Scheduled on “48 Hours Investigates” (9 p.m., CBS): the mystery behind the killing of a bookie’s wife.
• A Broadway tunesmith may have written the libretto for murder on “Law & Order” (9 p.m., NBC).
• HBO ends the year with six consecutive episodes of “Sex and the City” (10 p.m., HBO).

Late night

Kirsten Dunst and Rod Stewart appear on “Late Show with David Letterman” (10:35 p.m., CBS) … Jay Leno hosts Carrot Top, Stomp, the Jackie Robinson Steppers and Tom Jones on “The Tonight Show” (10:35 p.m., NBC).