6. The Following
The Following came under fire recently for being a series on network television that really pushed the amount of violence one could show on primetime network television. Focusing on Kevin Bacon and his serial killer negative parallel/nemesis, the series took a more blockbuster movie approach to serial killing which of course, includes a lot of violence. The first episode was controversial for its violence which included a woman shoving a knife through her eye into her skull. This was not just an attention-grabbing gimmick for a pilot of a new show though and the violence continued to happen frequently and quite graphically for network television as the series progressed.