I was on board this train until I saw the new episodes of Ren and Stimpy on TNN/SpikeTV. You know, the episodes that the creators said that they always meant to make, but Nickelodeon wouldn't let them do.
Know what? They sucked.
My conclusion was that Nickelodeon's leash, no matter how much it pissed John K. off, kept the show from being 22 minutes of fart jokes and innuendo about Ren and Stimpy's sexuality.