Or is it too quirky to be a viable sitcom?

Unfortunately, the only way it would work today would be if the writers added a lot of sex and dirty jokes.

No way in hell would this work. First off people would have problem with Barbara Eden calling Larry Hagman master (being we are so p.c. and all). As mentioned above if it were on it would be loading with obscene jokes and really bad humor.

Plus, they wouldn't even bother with a bottle, Jeannie and Tony would be sharing a bed. And Roger would be using her for sexual escapades on the side.

I agree with all you guys - all your points are right on the money. I feel the same way.

At least Jeannie would finally be allowed to show her belly button! (and almost everything else too! :rolleyes:)

They would have to change Tony's and Roger's profession - astronauts are not on the front page of the paper like they were back in the '60s during the space race.

Yes, NASA and the race to get on the moon was all the rage back in the mid/late 60s. What do you suppose their careers would be today? How would they tie in Dr. Bellows?

Yes, NASA and the race to get on the moon was all the rage back in the mid/late 60s. What do you suppose their careers would be today? How would they tie in Dr. Bellows?

Dr. Bellows would probably be changed to a female, and they'd make her Tony's "life coach":rolleyes:

Dr. Bellows would probably be changed to a female, and they'd make her Tony's "life coach":rolleyes:
Oh lord, please no! :rolleyes: ohno:

Yes, all these points that have been mentioned surely point that IDOJ would likely bomb today. Or would have to be so remodeled it wouldn't be able to recognize it.

Yes, all these points that have been mentioned surely point that IDOJ would likely bomb today. Or would have to be so remodeled it wouldn't be able to recognize it.
Exactly.

...PROVIDED you follow Sidney Sheldon's original guidelines: for instance, he never set out to do a "sexy" situation comedy. He said, in 1968, he was writing "boy meets girl"- in this case, the girl is a very beautiful 2,000 year old genie who insists on fulfilling her ancient tradition as a genie for the boy- "Master"- who doesn't really want her around, and doesn't want her to do anything for him...but she insists, even if it almost kills him or embarrasses him at the wrong time. Yet, he does have affection towards her, but is reluctant to show it at times.

Sidney knew what he was writing about...."boy meets girl", with the perennial "battle of the sexes" thrown in. His scripts are exactly what the series should be [and he wrote the best ones]. He usually set Jeannie's ancient background against everyday, modern situations [most of which, of course, she didn't understand] and how she coped with them.
One good sequence involving her trying to use a modern implement was in "How To Be A Genie In Ten Easy Lessons": she's using Tony's washing machine, which she doesn't notice isn't plugged in...she puts the clothes in, closes the lid, blinks, and the clothes float out, neatly packaged and wrapped in plastic! She then observes, "These washing machines are truly miracles". Very whimsical...

Unfortunately, James Henerson, his head writer during the final two seasons and the second most prolific writer on the series after Sheldon, tended to write situations that were mostly live-action "slapstick" cartoons, with Jeannie as "Gracie Allen". The underlying tension of Jeannie and Tony Nelson's relationship tended to dissolve into Jeannie's rotten sister's latest scheme or another madcap chase involving "Djinn-Djinn". That's what most people remember about the show these days...and if anyone tried to revive "JEANNIE" as a new series, that's exactly how it would unfold.

Let's face it- the universal appeal of the series was interpreted by different groups: those who liked to see light, romantic comedy (in the early seasons) and "the battle of the sexes"; those who fervently wished they had someone like Jeannie in their own home {and who didn't?}, and those who liked the "slapstick" and frantic moments.

What it boiled down to was, having your own personal genie isn't all that it's cracked up to be. Very few creative talents, and most people, don't understand this. All they see is the "sexism" of Jeannie calling Tony "Master", and that she's supposedly "subservient" to him. Nothing could be farther from the truth! Barbara Eden herself once observed, "She was saying 'yes, master', but she was doing her own thing". Especially if Jeannie thought what she was doing was in "Master's" best interests...she could also be jealous, stubborn, and behave like a mischevous child. Most people have forgotten that, too.

True, some elements would have to be changed {"Dr. Bellows" as a female? Why not? Adding another element in the "battle of the sexes" couldn't hurt}, but again, I say you CAN produce "I DREAM OF JEANNIE" today...IF you stay true to the original idea of the series.

:tv:

They would have to change Tony's and Roger's profession - astronauts are not on the front page of the paper like they were back in the '60s during the space race.

Yes, NASA and the race to get on the moon was all the rage back in the mid/late 60s. What do you suppose their careers would be today? How would they tie in Dr. Bellows?

Girls, we are NOT changing the profession of those characters. It doesn't matter what is all the rage or in the front page today or in the mid-to-late 60s. Notability of the 60s space race is not temporary. Try to give them a different NASA-related job other than an astronaut, if there is any, instead of putting up pointless anachronisms into the series. Pre-1992 rocks, today smells. Those posts are trying to tell me that NASA sucks. NASA does not suck.

But if we did any of that, any IDOJ revival would most likely end up an EPIC FAIL.

Girls, we are NOT changing the profession of those characters. It doesn't matter what is all the rage or in the front page today or in the mid-to-late 60s. Notability of the 60s space race is not temporary. Try to give them a different NASA-related job other than an astronaut, if there is any, instead of putting up pointless anachronisms into the series. Pre-1992 rocks, today smells. Those posts are trying to tell me that NASA sucks. NASA does not suck.

But if we did any of that, any IDOJ revival would most likely end up an EPIC FAIL.
I suppose they could be space shuttle astronauts.

The Space Shuttle program is gonna end soon, how about they work on the International Space Station?

Those posts are trying to tell me that NASA sucks. NASA does not suck.

I was Absolutely NOT saying that. I am glad that NASA is still around, though frankly I DO wish that we were going further than around-and-around in orbit with the space shuttle (whose program is ending) and out to the space station. I'd love to see us go BACK to the moon and then try for a man on Mars. It's not NASA that's keeping that from happening ... it's the US Govt in not giving NASA enough $$ to do either of those!!!!!

What I was saying, was that you'd have to pick a profession that's in the headlines these days, if you want to stick with Sidney Sheldon's original idea for the series. He chose for Jeannie to be found by an astronaut because he wanted her to be found by someone in the limelight who was NOT a Hollywood type, but still in a profession that was considered above-board. Though I think NASA is doing what it needs to do, how often do we see astronauts on our front pages these days? The only time they are, today, is (unfortunately) when something goes wrong up there. (I.e. Challenger or Columbia). Otherwise, they're relegated to page 3.


Donna

^ Exactly.

...PROVIDED you follow Sidney Sheldon's original guidelines: for instance, he never set out to do a "sexy" situation comedy. He said, in 1968, he was writing "boy meets girl"- in this case, the girl is a very beautiful 2,000 year old genie who insists on fulfilling her ancient tradition as a genie for the boy- "Master"- who doesn't really want her around, and doesn't want her to do anything for him...but she insists, even if it almost kills him or embarrasses him at the wrong time. Yet, he does have affection towards her, but is reluctant to show it at times.

Sidney knew what he was writing about...."boy meets girl", with the perennial "battle of the sexes" thrown in. His scripts are exactly what the series should be [and he wrote the best ones]. He usually set Jeannie's ancient background against everyday, modern situations [most of which, of course, she didn't understand] and how she coped with them.
One good sequence involving her trying to use a modern implement was in "How To Be A Genie In Ten Easy Lessons": she's using Tony's washing machine, which she doesn't notice isn't plugged in...she puts the clothes in, closes the lid, blinks, and the clothes float out, neatly packaged and wrapped in plastic! She then observes, "These washing machines are truly miracles". Very whimsical...

Unfortunately, James Henerson, his head writer during the final two seasons and the second most prolific writer on the series after Sheldon, tended to write situations that were mostly live-action "slapstick" cartoons, with Jeannie as "Gracie Allen". The underlying tension of Jeannie and Tony Nelson's relationship tended to dissolve into Jeannie's rotten sister's latest scheme or another madcap chase involving "Djinn-Djinn". That's what most people remember about the show these days...and if anyone tried to revive "JEANNIE" as a new series, that's exactly how it would unfold.

Let's face it- the universal appeal of the series was interpreted by different groups: those who liked to see light, romantic comedy (in the early seasons) and "the battle of the sexes"; those who fervently wished they had someone like Jeannie in their own home {and who didn't?}, and those who liked the "slapstick" and frantic moments.

What it boiled down to was, having your own personal genie isn't all that it's cracked up to be. Very few creative talents, and most people, don't understand this. All they see is the "sexism" of Jeannie calling Tony "Master", and that she's supposedly "subservient" to him. Nothing could be farther from the truth! Barbara Eden herself once observed, "She was saying 'yes, master', but she was doing her own thing". Especially if Jeannie thought what she was doing was in "Master's" best interests...she could also be jealous, stubborn, and behave like a mischevous child. Most people have forgotten that, too.

True, some elements would have to be changed {"Dr. Bellows" as a female? Why not? Adding another element in the "battle of the sexes" couldn't hurt}, but again, I say you CAN produce "I DREAM OF JEANNIE" today...IF you stay true to the original idea of the series.

:tv:


As usual TV Knowledge Fan you have summed everything up perfectly. I agree with your observation of the show and how it changed over the years. The first two years in particular seemed to focus on the light, romantic comedy as well as staying MORE true to the original continuity(though it was never completely consistent).

In addition to "How To Be A Genie In Ten Easy Lessons," another great episode that epitomizes Jeannie's lack of knowledge in 20th century America is featured in season one in the episode entitled "The Americanization of Jeannie." The scene when she takes a job as a sales clerk in a department store is hilarious - especially in the scene when her boss comes over to her and a disgruntled crowd. One of the funniest and most telling moments as to Jeannie's misunderstanding is in that scene when he asks her what is going on and she states some rhetoric she has picked up,"I was just pitching a demo so they would fork over a commission". This episode is also one of the earliest that shows just how much she wants to please "her master".

I agree that the show could work today if (as you stated) Sidney Sheldon's guidelines were used. In my opinion an example of this "modernization" could be the television show from the 1990's, "The Nanny". I use that show because it seemed to encompass elements that many "classic" shows had but it also subtly incorporated some humor that was more "racy" and current. It always seemed obvious to me that Fran Drescher (being executive producer as well as the star of the show) was a fan of classic TV. There were I Dream of Jeannie, Bewitched, I Love Lucy, Gilligan's Island, etc. references on that show throughout the run of the series. In addition, I don't know that this was intentional but The Nanny even had an animated opening like so many from the 50's and 60's eras (not many that I can recall had an animated opening in the 90's). Anyway, I know that show was on in the 1990's and is not in prime time today but I think it is current enough to use as an example... and it lasted for six years. I also believe even in the 90's people would still have the same question as to whether I Dream of Jeannie would work due to the changing times.

Again, I agree Jeannie could work as long as it was done the proper way.

It's always interesting reading your posts!:)

I was Absolutely NOT saying that. I am glad that NASA is still around, though frankly I DO wish that we were going further than around-and-around in orbit with the space shuttle (whose program is ending) and out to the space station. I'd love to see us go BACK to the moon and then try for a man on Mars. It's not NASA that's keeping that from happening ... it's the US Govt in not giving NASA enough $$ to do either of those!!!!!

What I was saying, was that you'd have to pick a profession that's in the headlines these days, if you want to stick with Sidney Sheldon's original idea for the series. He chose for Jeannie to be found by an astronaut because he wanted her to be found by someone in the limelight who was NOT a Hollywood type, but still in a profession that was considered above-board. Though I think NASA is doing what it needs to do, how often do we see astronauts on our front pages these days? The only time they are, today, is (unfortunately) when something goes wrong up there. (I.e. Challenger or Columbia). Otherwise, they're relegated to page 3.


Donna

Things that are in the front page in the 21st Century (the current one) are nothing but blatant anachronisms. I hate the 21st century, and I hate today. What are professions that are in the headlines today? Provide us with a list.

A remake of the series is not to be done, even in real life.