"Cape Feare" originally aired on the Fox network in the United States on October 7, 1993. It finished 32nd in the ratings for the week of October 4–10, 1993, with a Nielsen rating of 12.3. The episode was the highest-rated show on the Fox network that week. "Cape Feare" was selected for release in a 1997 VHS collection of episodes titled "The Simpsons: Springfield Murder Mysteries", along with "Who Shot Mr. Burns? (Part 1)", "Who Shot Mr. Burns? (Part 2)" and "Black Widower". It was included again in the 2005 DVD release of the "Springfield Murder Mysteries". The episode is also featured on the "Simpsons" season five DVD set, which was released on December 21, 2004. Groening, Jean and Vitti participated in the DVD audio commentary for "Cape Feare". Kelsey Grammer's performance of "H.M.S. Pinafore" was later included on the album "Go Simpsonic with The Simpsons". The musical score for the episode earned composer Alf Clausen an Emmy Award nomination for "Outstanding Dramatic Underscore – Series" in 1994.