Plot vs. Characterization in The Legend of Korra

So far, The Legend of Korra has been absolutely fantastic. The story is thematically rich and full of political intrigue, the action sequences are beautiful and exhilarating, and the characters are three-dimensional and strong.  But then I read Emily Guendelsberger’s review of When Extremes Meet, and she made a point that made me take a step back.  The Legend of Korra will only have 12 episodes in its first season, unlike Avatar: The Last Airbender’s 20.  That means that we’ll never get an episode like Zuko Alone.  (Then again, we’ll never get an episode like The Great Divide.)  Korra has been so great because its plot moves quickly while developing its characters well.  But we don’t really get to hang out with them the way we did with Aang and his friends.  Korra the show succeeds admirably at what it’s doing, but now I’ll never not be able to think of what stories could have been told about the Avatar and her friends in the vast Republic City.