I know that and there are shows that handle character development extremely well but Walking Dead really doesn't. Carl and Rick have shown the same annoying dynamic so I would say with 'After' there was distinct lack of characterization with the exception of Michonne.
Carried by a raven from the Wall.
I know it's annoying to keep referencing the comic book to try and justify things, but this part is a really glaring issue the TV show has...in the comic book, you get all of this strife between Rick and Carl rather quickly, and then Carl develops a relationship with Sophia (who met a really different fate in the TV show, and it kind of screwed up the whole story). Carl's struggle with Rick is such a focus of the show, and it's annoying because we see it as trivial in the scheme of things (zombie apocalypse and all)...in the comic, Carl's struggle with his dad is more of a sprinkled in detail amongst their situations.
The TV show has to sit on issues for a lot longer because they have an audience, in many ways, that needs stuff spelled out for them. Where the comic book is a no non-sense, get right into it style story, the TV show tends to turn into a soap opera, and it certainly gets annoying.
One good thing though is as the story is going right now, even if they skew WAY off of the way it is in the books, we're in for a much more sinister and dark chain of events...the group is about to start moving on, and with that, new obstacles and characters will shine vs. the relationships we've been seeing.
We have to give them some credit, they're trying to extend the TV show out as far as they can...and I don't blame them, it's a cash cow. I think we're really in for a wild ride coming up...especially if they introduce a certain man that will make the governor look like a peace maker.