The suspense comes to an end on the two-hour season finale of “24” (7 p.m., Fox). And not a moment too soon. Everybody’s had a really bad day, and the pressure to pack nail-biting cliffhangers into two dozen episodes has begun to expose the narrative holes in “24.”

How many times can CTU allow Marwan to escape? What do you expect when you send Jack and only two other guys to capture the greatest terrorist of all time? We’ve seen this happen time and again. When the nuclear “football” was on the loose, CTU sent Jack and just one other agent to secure the device. When CTU needed to secure a computer hard drive containing vital information, they sent Chloe! No wonder the bad guys keep getting away.

None of these howlers comes close to the Kim’s-threatened-by-a-cougar moment of earlier seasons, but they have a cumulative impact on the show’s credibility. And the soap opera quotient has increased in the past few weeks, too. Jack’s the kind of guy who can kill without hesitation. Heck, he can go a whole day without eating, sleeping or going to the bathroom. But now he has to check in with Audrey every 5 minutes and talk about his feelings? Jack! Snap out of it!

For all of these quibbles, I will certainly miss the show when it ends. We’ll all have to wait until January 2006 to hear Kiefer Sutherland’s raspy voice utter my three favorite words on television, “Previously on ’24.”‘

Tonight’s other highlights

Note: With the exception of repeats, all network shows are season finales.

¢ Tears and drywall on “Extreme Makeover: Home Edition: How’d They Do That?” (7 p.m., ABC).

¢ “Secret Missions of the Civil War” (7 p.m., History) recalls clandestine military actions as well as espionage and kidnapping plots hatched by both sides.

¢ Big changes at the gaming saloon on “Las Vegas” (8 p.m., NBC).

¢ “Real Sports” (8 p.m., HBO) includes an interview with Wally Backman, who lost his job as Arizona Diamondbacks manager after only four days.

¢ Horatio doesn’t know if he still loves Raymond on “CSI: Miami” (9 p.m., CBS).

¢ A once skeptical Texas Ranger (Arliss Howard) risks his life to aide Allison on “Medium” (9 p.m., NBC).

Series notes

On two episodes of “Still Standing” (7 p.m., CBS), Bon Jovi (7 p.m.), vacation plans (7:30 p.m.) … Joe Rogan is host to “Fear Factor” (7 p.m., NBC).