Stand-up comedy doesn’t have great replay value. Many routines have a short shelf life due to their topical humor, and even routines that rely on universal themes can seem tired after multiple viewings. Even the greatest comedians have material that you probably wouldn’t make a regular habit of watching.

So, you have to wonder a bit about the DVD release of stand-up comedy featuring eight episodes of Comedy Central Presents. The show is still running strong, in its twelfth season, and has filled its half-hour slot with a lot of great comedians. But on this DVD, the newest episode is from season eight. Many of the episodes are from the first couple of seasons and initially aired over ten years ago. This stuff is old.

Now, the reasoning behind this is obvious. The eight comedians featured on the disc are some of the most popular and well-known acts Comedy Central has hosted. But that doesn’t mean we’re not sick of hearing these old jokes. I suppose the major selling point of the disc is that it is “uncensored.” This is utterly pointless.

Hardly any of the material on here would have been censored on its initial television broadcast. Sure, there are a few f-bombs sprinkled across the disc (I’m pretty sure I can count them on one hand) and a few other choice words would have triggered the bleep button originally, but it adds nothing to the routines hearing them. Comedy Central Presents only uses about 20 minutes of a comic’s routine anyway, so it would make little sense to include a great deal of censored material on such a short broadcast.

As for the routines, most are pretty good, but unless you’ve never seen or heard any performance of the particular comic before, it’s probably going to feel like a rerun. Jeff Dunham, Jim Gaffigan, the late Mitch Hedberg, Demetri Martin, and Brian Regan all provide a steady stream of laughs, but there’s better material from every one of these guys out there.

Lewis Black’s routine, originally aired in 1998, is underwhelming and feels incredibly dated. A good portion of his material focuses on the most recent Super Bowl. This routine is so old that Black is making jokes about a Super Bowl halftime show and he doesn’t even have Janet Jackson’s wardrobe malfunction as fodder, because it hasn’t happened yet.

Carlos Mencia continues to amaze me with his ability to be painfully unfunny for an entire routine and still have a fan base. Similarly, Dane Cook has somehow convinced a good portion of Americans that him yelling stupid things loudly makes them funny. These routines weren’t funny the first time around.

Ultimately, The Best of Comedy Central Presents Uncensored is an utterly disposable disc. If you’ve never seen the routines before, there’s some enjoyment to be had, but this disc will never be a frequent visitor to your DVD player. If the “uncensored” claim excites you – forget it. It’s an unabashed ploy to sell DVDs. Don’t be sucked in.