Nathan Rowden: I love TV but there’s too much grim reality

We both love telly. In fact I'm going to make and admission. I'd rather sit and watch a tv show than tuck into a book these days – there I said it, I'm an uncultured millennial.

I enjoy tv so much that between I pay for Netflix, Amazon Prime and Sky. Many would see this as a big expenditure, but I just can't get enough of binging my way through a box set while relaxing on my couch drinking mug after mug of tea and eating what is probably too many biscuits.

I suppose you could call me a slob – but I do exercise too, honestly.

Anyway, at the end of the aforementioned conversation the same thing happens. We start to discuss what's next on the list. What have our friends recommended? What do our colleagues at work say is good? Did we overhear someone on the bus the other day talking about a show?

This is usually then followed by an hour, and often longer, of the most mundane scrolling through various menus and categories to see what's available for us to watch next.

"Oh just pick something," my wife will say – understandably growing frustrated by my indecision.

Well this is a very tough choice. You're about to dedicate a decent chunk of time to a show – it's got to be good.

But one thing I've started to notice over the last couple of years is a trend of just grim television. Good telly should be some escapism from the real world. A break from the relentless and incessant Brexit chat and the seemingly never ending coverage of crimes and disasters on rolling 24 hour news.

Channel 4 was recently championing Brexit: The Uncivil War starring Benedict Cumberbatch. It was a dramatisation of the referendum. We're still talking about it for goodness sake, why on earth would I want to dedicate yet more of my personal time to watching a dramatised version of Brexit squabbling?

And while we're on the subject of politics and television – when did watching more politics talk on Sunday morning become a thing. Surely we hear enough of this waffle from the same characters Monday through to Saturday, surely we can be allowed one day off?

I would sooner settle down with a Disney film and a tasty bacon sandwich that sit and watch Andrew Marr and Robert Peston interview politicians – surely non of them want to be there themselves really.

But aside from politics, there is so much miserable television out there. Of course not all of it is bad. Breaking Bad, Better Call Saul, 24, True Detective – these are all good shows from the US and cover some pretty grizzly subjects.

However, they're no longer few and far between.

It's now got to the point where every other show is miserable or a big Hollywood-ised true story which turns the most awful tales into entertainment.

An example of this is the recent Netflix documentary Abducted In Plain Sight. This is a true crime documentary about a family that falls prey to the manipulative charms of a neighbour, who abducts their adolescent daughter twice.

It's a truly horrific tale and should be hard to watch. But actually what has happened is it whipped up debate with people talking quite flippantly almost about how shocking it was, and in turn taking away from the severity of the story. I suspect the same thing will happen with the Netflix's Conversations with a Killer: The Ted Bundy Tapes.

Then there's Luther. It's a brutal and gruesome British cop show and people seem to absolutely love it. But for me it's just too grim. I see, read and hear about true life real horrendous stories every day, why do I want to subject myself to more fictional horrendous stories?

Don't get me wrong, it has it's place, and maybe I wouldn't be so bothered by it if there just wasn't so much of it.

But there is light. Funny and original comedies like 30 Rock, It's Always Sunny In Philadelphia and the Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt provide some relief while historical dramas like Vikings have gone under the radar.

All I want is to find some television that is gripping and engaging without me having to constantly sit and question to myself – why on earth are we watching this?