Media Room

You’re Not Elected, Charlie Brown: Deluxe Edition (Warner Home Video, $19.98) — Political observers never tire of mentioning that this election is a historic one. Bookshelves, it seems, are filled with more tomes than usual on the candidates this year. However, that interest has spread beyond the obvious. Even studios behind children’s television specials are capitalizing on the upcoming race.

Last week, we mentioned “Schoolhouse Rock! The Election Collection.” Now an episode featuring the Peanuts gang is making its way out of the vault.

“You’re Not Elected, Charlie Brown” originally aired on Oct. 29, 1972, just days before then-President Nixon won his second term. Charlie Brown may be the more lovable of the two, but he wasn’t as savvy a politician. “I have the results of my poll. You’ll never be elected, Charlie Brown,” Lucy informs him when he’s thinking of running for student body president.

So Charlie backs Linus instead.

Linus does very well — at first. “I remember one time, he gave me half of his peanut butter sandwich,” one supporter says. Of course, his opponent is pretty lackluster, with a speech consisting of just one sentence: “If elected, I promise to do the best that I can.” When Linus starts talking about his obsession with the Great Pumpkin, though, his numbers just might take a nose dive.

As usual, this Charlie Brown special is charming and should appeal to young and old alike. The children’s cartoon is also pretty good at poking fun at a very adult sport: blaming the media. “We’re in the midst of a moral decline,” Linus opines to a girl from the school newspaper, but she’s not interested in big ideas. When she dumbs down his words, he complains, “The press is against me.”

The DVD features another Peanuts television special, “He’s a Bully, Charlie Brown,” which aired in 2006 and was worked on by Peanuts creator Charles Schulz before his death in 2000. There’s also a short featurette, “The Polls Don’t Lie: The Making of ’You’re Not Elected, Charlie Brown.’” Although it aired in 1972, this special was actually based on strips that Mr. Schulz wrote during another election season — the 1964 race between Democratic incumbent Lyndon B. Johnson and Republican Sen. Barry Goldwater of Arizona. It seems that some themes are, unfortunately, timeless.

30 Rock: Season 2 (Universal, $39.98) — Some of television’s best shows don’t have the ratings to match. Still, you can often tell how good a show is by the list of actors clamoring for a guest appearance. Such is the case with the NBC comedy “30 Rock.”

In its second season, guest stars included Will Arnett, Matthew Broderick, Steve Buscemi, Tim Conway, Edie Falco, Carrie Fisher, Rip Torn, Jerry Seinfeld and Elaine Stritch. This, despite the fact that in its first year, “Rock” ranked 102 out of 142 series, according to Nielsen Media Research.

Of course, the series also has a lot of Emmy love, this year picking up its second award as best comedy series. Its creator, “Saturday Night Live” alum Tina Fey, won both best actress and best writing for a comedy — and co-star Alec Baldwin was named best actor in a comedy.

If you’re one of the many who didn’t tune in, you can catch all 15 episodes on two discs. The people at Universal must also be fans of the show, because the discs offer a very good selection of extras.

Besides deleted scenes and audio commentaries, there’s a behind-the-scenes look at Miss Fey hosting “SNL,” the inspiration for the fictional show she runs on “30 Rock.” You can see how the writing process and rehearsals actually work at the comedy institution.

There’s also a Q&A with the cast at the Academy of Television Arts & Sciences, the group behind the Emmys, plus a live performance of the episode titled “Secrets and Lies” at the Upright Citizens Brigade Theatre in New York City. The third season of “30 Rock” premieres Oct. 30.

My Name Is Earl: Season Three (Fox, $49.98) — The aforementioned Mr. Baldwin made headlines recently not just for his Emmy win and not just for his book about his infamous divorce battle. The news media rehashed the war of words he got into with Greg Garcia, the creator of another NBC Thursday-night sitcom, “My Name Is Earl.”

Mr. Baldwin doesn’t think “Earl” is as good as “30 Rock.” He might be right, but “Earl” has always had better ratings. That could change, though, as each new season of “Earl” appears to lose a few million viewers: Its first season had an average of 10.9 million, while this third season, to date, has just 7.3 million.

Jason Lee stars as the title character, a ne’er-do-well who decides to do good deeds to atone for his past bad ones. All 18 episodes are here on four discs. Extras include deleted scenes, a gag reel and a featurette on creating those wacky characters.

Trial & Retribution, Set 1 (Acorn, $59.99) — Feeling bereft since the gritty police procedural “Prime Suspect,” starring Helen Mirren, ended its run two years ago? Have no fear. Creator Lynda La Plante, who received an Edgar Award from the Mystery Writers of America for the series, has been keeping busy. She created “Trial & Retribution” in 1997. The series is still going strong in the U.K., and now it’s finally making its first American appearance on DVD.

Think of it as a grittier (no surprise there) “Law & Order.” Like that show, each episode centers on one case — from the time police start investigating the crime to the delivery of the verdict in the courtroom. Stylistically though, “Trial” is more innovative. You might see three different camera angles on-screen at once, showing the different perspectives of the suspects and the inspectors.

It’s also one of those shows that draws top-rate guest talent, including Simon Callow, Rhys Ifans and Richard E. Grant in its first year. The first four two-part episodes are here on four discs. Extras include an interview and biography of the show’s creator.