I spent some time reading a bunch of the reviews after your post and I think a lot of them got the show wrong because a) it isn't all dark and terrible deeper into the season and b) prison dramas just aren't for everyone. I think someone described it as, toxic masculinity the series and they are not all wrong.
Anyway, there were some key moments in the show where if they got any darker I might have bailed but they didn't go all the way there for me.
This has me thinking about another post I want to make.
********** "Everyone has a plan until you punch them in the face. Then they don't have a plan anymore." (c) Mike Tyson