Game of Thrones

And it really is effective. The best comparison I have for it is Harry Potter vs adult fantasy novels. I loved Harry Potter when I was younger, but as I got older I started reading adult fantasy novels which involve violence, rape, swearing. They aren't the primary themes, but they do occur when in the right context. It serves to create a much stronger level of realism, and even causes you to become more attached to the characters, perhaps.

The Walking Dead is probably another good example of this, especially the graphic novel. I was actually kind of disappointed that AMC ended up getting The Walking Dead, as it would have been able to stick to the realism of the graphic novels much better on a premium channel like HBO or Showtime. The graphic novels feature rape, torture, maniacs who decapitate children for fun, etc. Certainly things that AMC cannot reproduce.