I have no problem with grim and gritty in my storytelling. If anything, I quite like a number of grim and gritty stories and characters that are out there. As a general rule, I have no more problem with the grim and gritty storytelling tone, style, and tropes than I have with any other storytelling’s tone, style, or tropes. There are only three circumstances that arise that find me having an issue with grim and gritty.
1) I have an issue when creators using it don’t understand that it’s not a substitute for a good story or, in some extreme cases, a substitute for an actual story.
2) I have an issue with it when it’s used where it’s not needed to be used or used inappropriately for the characters being written at the time.
3) I have an issue with it when fans and creators alike promote the style while confusing the concept of grim and gritty with the concepts of both adult and sophisticated storytelling while insisting that the one is somehow automatically the other two.
Chandler's Bar & Grill 