The first book in the series, Darkly Dreaming Dexter, was included on the original nomination list for the Mystery Writers of America's Edgar Awards in the Best First Novel category. However, it was dropped from the list after the group learned that Lindsay had put out several books in the 1990s under another pen name, Jeffrey P. Lindsay.
Dexter aired as a 2006 TV series on Showtime with the first season loosely based on Darkly Dreaming Dexter. The second season aired the following year and the third premiered in September, 2008, but both are original storylines that do not follow the plot of the books.