They seem to have taken a bit of a backseat in recent times. Does a show need one to be entertaining or, going further, fulfilling? Can a show get by simply on its wit or action, or does it need a strand of thread running through to connect the madness? I'm going to look at some specific examples through the course, and naturally I'm mainly referring to your 12/24 episode series as ongoing ones flit between main story arcs in the same way as your shorter series progresses from episode to episode.
