"Workaholics" has been renewed for a fifth season, which makes one of the longest-running shows of its kind, a live-action original Comedy Central sitcom. That format long proved a tough nut for the cable channel to crack, even as they enjoyed long-term success on "South Park" and "The Daily Show." "Workaholics" has not discovered some magical formula, nor has it created a blueprint for others to follow. It's simply managed to secure a large enough audience to attract enough advertisers to pay the people who make it. For "Workaholics", a large enough audience means a little over 1 million viewers, around 700,000 of them aged 18-49, tuning in to its 10:00 PM Wednesday night broadcasts. It's no cultural phenomenon, but sticking around for 53 episodes with at least another thirteen on the way is no minor achievement, especially on a channel that has had limited success in scripted entertainment.

I wish I could feel good about the show's longevity, as I have fond memories of enjoying Comedy Central as long as twenty years ago, from watching "Saturday Night Live" reruns that were new to me to later discovering creative diversions like "Dr. Katz, Professional Therapist", "Make Me Laugh", and "Win Ben Stein's Money." Though I found "Workaholics" somewhat entertaining at its start, by Season Four, its negative qualities far outweigh the positive ones.

The show continues to look at life for three lazy products of Generation Y. Adam (Adam DeVine), Anders (Anders Holm), and Blake (Blake Anderson) live and work together. They're an immature and obnoxious bunch, always willing and ready to sell one another out for personal gain. They use recreational drugs, talk about their penises, try and usually fail to hook up with girls, and do anything but work in the cubicle they share at a telemarketing company.

It almost doesn't even matter where one of the leads ends and another begins. One is short and delusional about his strength and fitness. Another rocks a mustache and a 1980s woman's hairdo. The third is tall and can fake professionalism. They're all petty, nasty, stupid, and void of any redeeming qualities. You might be amused by 20 minutes of their antics, but to keep returning to them is a form of sadomasochism. I guess I'm guilty of that, because I keep coming back to review the Blu-rays, hoping I'll find some fruits born out of the comedic promise I detected in Season 1. Instead, I must settle for the occasional funny pop culture reference, some of them obscure enough to be lost on anyone outside of the generation I am embarrassed to share with these stars/creators/executive producers.

I get more amusement out of the gang's obvious product placement (why a company would pay to be associated with this show astonishes me) than of the show's organic comedy, which continues to get more and more off-color. Within the first few episodes of Season 4 alone, we get such super gross gags as the guys throwing up fish guts on one another and liquid feces splattering all over one of their faces. The series also seems to take the uncensored nature of Blu-ray and DVD further. Besides profanity going unbleeped and middle fingers unblurred, we get some nudity, from the bared breasts of senior citizens in the season premiere to photographs of erect penises in episode two. While it was a given that this was not a show that would mature, it definitely seems to be getting cruder and more juvenile with each renewal.

Disc 1

1. Orgazmo Birth (21:11) (Originally aired January 22, 2014)
The guys' plans to attend an electronic music festival with co-worker Montez (Erik Griffin) hits a snag when his pregnant wife (Alex Borstein) goes into labor and wants to experience an orgasmic water birth.

2. Fry Guys (21:11) (Originally aired January 29, 2014)
The guys try to hire a gigolo (Kyle Bornheimer) for their boss (Maribeth Monroe) so that she will let them hold a work fish fry with the koi that died in their swimming pool.

3. Snackers (21:22) (Originally aired February 5, 2014)
Needing to round up snacks for a party at their house, the guys back Jillian (Jillian Bell) for break room manager, only to have to resort to an Ocean's Eleven/Thirteen-style heist.

4. Miss BS (21:21) (Originally aired February 12, 2014)
The guys invite their favorite investigative reporter, Miss BS (Erinn Hayes), to hang out with them, but her footage of them exploiting the elderly might just cost everyone at TelAmeriCorp their jobs.

5. Three and a Half Men (21:16) (Originally aired February 19, 2014)
Hired to shoot and edit a company promotional video, the guys instead plan to make original documentaries, with Adam aiming to eat 1,000 hot dogs in a week and their friend Karl (Kyle Newacheck) deciding to have his penis removed and given to Blake.

6. Brociopath (21:21) (Originally aired February 26, 2014)
The guys' attempt to host a frat after-party at their house is a bust, until the industrious "all-time legend" Stan Halen (Will Greenberg) saves them. The only problem is that this Anchorman-quoting, McConaugheyesque Oakley sales rep isn't what he says.

7. We Be Clownin' (21:21) (Originally aired March 5, 2014)
To raise money to pay someone to sand their improvised wooden pool slide, the guys become clowns at children's birthday parties and plot a rival's demise.

Disc 2

8. Beer Heist (21:21) (Originally aired March 12, 2014)
Underaged college girls' request to buy beer for a party turns into a brewery-robbing odyssey for the guys.

9. Best Buds (21:21) (Originally aired March 19, 2014)
The guys quit their job to sell "burweedos" in Karl's new shop.

10. Timechair (21:22) (Originally aired March 26, 2014)
Stealing go-karts and other modes of transportation, the guys race one another to be the first to claim a free massage chair.

11. The One Where the Guys Play Basketball Do the "Friends" Title Thing (21:21) (Originally aired April 2, 2014)
The guys take Mexican steroids to help them in a 3-on-3 basketball tournament at work, where the winners get to drive Dodge Dart to Reno.

12. DeputyDong (21:21) (Originally aired April 9, 2014)
The guys track down a hateful online video game adversary and crash an event at his house with the intention of deleting his account.

13. Friendship Anniversary (21:21) (Originally aired April 16, 2014)
After seven years of living together, with their lease up for renewal, the guys split up for a night.

VIDEO and AUDIO

"Workaholics" looks every bit as good on Blu-ray as it has in the past. The 1.78:1 presentation is sharp, spotless, and detailed, allowing you to ever so slightly appreciate that the photography is a little more creative than soundstage sitcoms of yore. Offered in both Dolby TrueHD 5.1 and plain Dolby Stereo 2.0, the soundtrack is fine, keeping dialogue crisp and music lively. Feeding the show's '90s nostalgia, licensed songs include The Goo Goo Dolls' "Iris" and MC Hammer's "2 Legit 2 Quit." English SDH subtitles are nicely included, though they're not extended to the bonus features.

BONUS FEATURES, MENUS, PACKAGING and DESIGN

Thankfully, the "Workaholics" gang has spared us the candid thoughts of their "Drunkmentary" (drunk audio commentary) attached to every episode of the first three seasons. They were honestly the most grating bonus feature I've encountered in over ten years of reviewing discs, so I don't lament their loss at all. Presumably, not recording their insight for posterity freed the guys up for guest appearances on shows like "Arrested Development", "Parks and Recreation" and "Modern Family."

Three different kind of video extras are included on Disc 2 and presented in HD.

First up comes an outtakes reel (10:56) that shows us the show's improvisational nature, the cast's obvious camaraderie, and everyone's willingness to ad-lib (or just curse) in the face of the unexpected, like planes overhead and uncooperative props.

Next is a reel of deleted and alternate scenes (10:36). Most fall into the latter class and aren't particularly notable.

Finally, we get a trio of short promos (1:01) creatively advertising Season 4 with bobblehead dolls, dogs, stop motion puppets, and 8-bit animation stand-ins for the Workaholics.

Each disc's menu plays slow motion clips of the guys at work and home under the extended theme music. The Blu-rays do not let you set bookmarks, nor do they let you resume playback as a DVD does.

No inserts or slipcovers join the two discs and eco-friendly keepcase.

CLOSING THOUGHTS

Four seasons in, "Workaholics" is only good for the occasional chuckle and flash of creativity. Gross-out gags, thoroughly unlikable protagonists, and an increasingly crude sense of humor undermine the infrequent display of wit. While it may not be as artificial as the few surviving multi-camera sitcoms, this show is every bit as unfunny and unfulfilling.

The Season 4 Blu-ray is low-priced and offers satisfactory video/audio and bonus features. It's a good way to see the show if you're so inclined, but I can't recommend that course of action.

Buy Workaholics: Season Four from Amazon.com: Blu-ray / DVD / Instant Video