Character Development

Sometimes when I'm watching a TV show, I get super impressed with character development.
And then I start to think of how I would write such a character.

But I'm not sure that you can develop a character in a book the same way you can develop a character in a TV show.
It can be similar, of course. But the episodic nature of a TV show lets you go through a number of individual stories about different characters.
A book is more of a steady progression. So while there can be some episodic development, it not nearly as much.

Also, when someone falls down on TV, it can be hilarious. But reading about someone falling down is almost never so funny.

I don't know what my point is. Just a thought I had.