[1] Inspired by Harry Potter, the show features Aabria Iyengar as the game master with the player cast of Erika Ishii, Brennan Lee Mulligan, Danielle Radford, and Lou Wilson as Americans who are invited to a Hogwarts-like school to study magic.

The reputation of the Harry Potter series slipped in the decades after its release, as various new analyses shone a light on elements of the series—and public statements of its author, J. K. Rowling—that have been criticized as bigoted.

Creative director Orion D. Black told The Daily Dot that the season sought to counter Harry Potter's lack of diverse representation in its central cast.

In a similar line to Harry Potter, the season follows four Americans with no prior magical ability as they attempt to navigate the culture of Gowpenny, a secret school of witchcraft and wizardry meant to serve as a parallel to Hogwarts.

Rather than Dungeons & Dragons, the first season of Misfits and Magic uses the Kids on Brooms system, and instead of Dimension 20's regular arrangement of minis and battle maps, it mostly utilizes theatre of the mind.

[10] Michael Crider of PC World reviewed the season favourably, complimenting Brennan Lee Mulligan's performance as Evan Kelmp and his character's arc, which foils Dream's.