One show that I think left a big impression on what I like to see more of would be courage the cowardly dog. I think the best example would be the episode with the snuff film directors who want to murder Muriel and Eustace for their latest film.

It's a snuff film. You can't get around it, they wanted to make profit off their murder victims being filmed. That's why I'm in a way, convinced the animators wanted to more than a mere kids show but didn't have much of a choice because adult swim hadn't come out yet. Today, courage would fit in perfectly branded as an adult oriented show as a love letter to B films and grotesque horror films of old. Along with other things I grew up on, I would say it's impression left me wanting to see more horror or at least elements of horror in animation. Back then and still today, you really can't say killed or died in something marketed as a kids show, but the choice of wording makes it sound more terrifying than had they just said killed. That's why I would say courage is possibly my favorite thing cartoon network came out with, because of the risks it was willing to take.

Now, I don't subscribe to the notion that shoving in a lewd joke past the censors auto changes it from being a genuine kids show to something made for adults. Because the very premise of courage was a horror film or at its tamest a thriller of sorts.