"The Red and the Black" premiered on the Fox network in the United States on March 8, 1998. This episode earned a Nielsen rating of 12.0, with an 18 share, meaning that roughly 12.0 percent of all television-equipped households, and 18 percent of households watching television, were tuned in to the episode. It was viewed by 19.98 million viewers. The episode was later included on "The X-Files Mythology, Volume 3 – Colonization", a DVD collection that contains episodes involved with the alien Colonist's plans to take over the earth.