I haven't even read the article yet, but I was so excited to see that someone is addressing this topic that I had to comment right away. I've been trying to figure out what's reason behind the pull towards intensely dark shows. While I'm hoping the trend will fade away, it seems to be going the other way.

I didn't like The Killing (though I tried 3 episodes), and I just couldn't get myself to watch a full episode of The Walking Dead. I have no interest whatsoever in watching depressingly dark shows. I look forward to understanding why other people do, even though I don't.

To be continued after I read it.....

[Can't wait. But I will... -- DB]

Huh! I guess I too like dark shows too even though I thought I didn't. Breaking Bad, United States of Tara, Justified, and Mad Men are considered some of our darkest shows in this article yet I don't see them that way. I would call them drama-comedies. Granted sometimes there's more drama than the comedy but the humor still shines through.

Though I do wonder when I read on a blog about these shows that someone laughed out loud at such and such a part. I'm thinking, "Seriously? You thought that was funny?". And yet they probably would say the same about me.

I think the reasoning in this article behind why we are watching dark shows is sound. I can't argue that when things are really bad we want to see something even worse, to make ourselves feel better about how our lives are right now. It also makes for scary thoughts about the actions people while living in these times.