Different Views on Modern Television

So today I was watching my favorite t.v. show Criminal Minds. I was in the middle of an intense episode, when the website I was watching it on crashed. Naturally I had to know what happened next, so I went onto Youtube and searched for the episode. Instead of the clip I had been hoping for, I found a video of Mandy Patinkin, who plays Agent Jason Gideon in the show, talking about why he eventually decided to leave Criminal Minds. Intrigued, I watched the entire video and afterwards felt somewhat enlightened by his perspective on the show. In the video, which was an interview, Patinkin states that if he could do it all over again, he would never have taken the role of Agent Gideon. When asked why he explained that the show had begun to "destroy" his heart and soul.
I was shocked. How could a fictional television show destroy someone's heart and soul? After all, it was complete fantasy. None of the characters or plot lines were real. However, once I heard Patinkin's view, I began to understand.
Patinkin continued to explain that it was not the show itself that was hurting him, but the extreme violence that was portrayed. For those of you who don't know, Criminal Minds is a television drama depicting the cases of the FBI's Behavioral Analysis Unit. This unit specializes in creating profiles for the most serious criminals, like serial killers. Some of the ideas the writers had come up with for episodes were pretty gruesome and disturbing.
Patinkin believed that this misogyny and horror was inappropriate for anyone of any age. He said he thought the reason people are drawn to these types of shows, is that they believe if they get their daily dose of fear, then nothing bad will happen to them. He also said that this violence was becoming a common sight to people and it was losing its grisly nature, due to the modern numbness of society. He believed that we see these images so often that they have lost their ability to frighten us.
Of course Patinkin is somewhat correct. These images have dulled society's empathetic tendencies. However I disagree with his belief that people want their daily dose of fear. When I watch Criminal Minds, it doesn't make me afraid, it's entertaining and is more akin to a thriller than a horror movie.
I found Patinkin's view interesting mostly because he was apart of that world as an actor for so long, yet he didn't necessarily enjoy the story and character he was portraying. It is a unique way to think about modern television and gives insight to the fact that not all actors may like or appreciate the concept of the work they do.