Bewitched Vs I Dream of Jeannie..........i think we have a winner, Go
Samantha & why is Jeannie smileing so much ;)

Serena has the blog with the pictures for 18+.

Darrin & Samantha had their moments tooooooooooooooo!!

P.S. I loved Uncle Arthur & thought his episodes were a rare & wonderful treat.
I always looked forward to them & thought his character was Hilarious & he had perfect chemistry with Liz, Long may the true King Arthur Rule.

Larry Tate :)

Is this about...spanking? 8s

Nice pics, especially that first one. If they ever had a crossover episode, I would have wanted that scene to be in there. =)

Nice pics, especially that first one. If they ever had a crossover episode, I would have wanted that scene to be in there. =)
Don't worry Adam. I'm sure the adult film industry will come out with a movie with this very scene in it any day now! They love to parody TV shows.

This debate will go on and on for centuries, much like the Ginger vs. Mary Ann debate. Of course my vote goes to Bewitched, but then I've never really seen much of Jeannie.

Jeannie seems to be enjoying this particular debate Hands on so to speak...........;)

Larry Tate :)

This debate will go on and on for centuries, much like the Ginger vs. Mary Ann debate. Of course my vote goes to Bewitched, but then I've never really seen much of Jeannie.

If you think about who should REALLY be spanked in that picture,it is creator Sol Saks who created "Bewitched" spanking the late Sidney Sheldon who created "I Dream of Jeannie".

Well Sol Saks did create Bewitched but the Bewitched we all know and love so much was fine tuned by Bill Asher, Elizabeth Montgomery with input from
Danny Arnold.

You do have a point but personally i prefer to see Liz spanking Babs, it works much better for Moi. ;)

Larry Tate :)

If you think about who should REALLY be spanked in that picture,it is creator Sol Saks who created "Bewitched" spanking the late Sidney Sheldon who created "I Dream of Jeannie".

Sol Saks was the one who came up with the concept of the show, and wrote the pilot episode, I believe. His input ceased with that, but still got the creator credit. It really was Liz and Bill Asher who had the most creative input - and Danny Arnold is one of the most underrated TV writers of all time, responsible for two of my all-time fave shows, Bewitched and Barney Miller. :cool: :D

The pics of Darrin spanking Liz are enough to get me hot and bothered :happyface


Anyway I would say Bewitched had the edge of Jeannie, but I still like both shows.

And,Larry Tate,again,if you know of you own knowledge,did ABC at the time when it was pitched to them,in 1964(or was it 1963),have qualms(misgivings,second thoughts) about doing "Bewitched"when Elizabeth Montgomery,and William Asher pitched it to them?And did NBC have the same qualms about doing "I Dream of Jeannie"?

ABC initially passed on Bewitched because they feared a boycott of their deep south & midwest affiliates.

Only when CBS wanted to sign Bewitched up & Quaker Oats had brought in Chevrolet with all the clout they had with ABC did they change their mind & buy Bewitched.

Don't know about IDOJ at NBC, but a Jeannie was not controversial with the Bible Belt the way a Witch was.

Larry Tate :)

And,Larry Tate,again,if you know of you own knowledge,did ABC at the time when it was pitched to them,in 1964(or was it 1963),have qualms(misgivings,second thoughts) about doing "Bewitched"when Elizabeth Montgomery,and William Asher pitched it to them?And did NBC have the same qualms about doing "I Dream of Jeannie"?

ABC initially passed on Bewitched because they feared a boycott of their deep south & midwest affiliates.

Only when CBS wanted to sign Bewitched up & Quaker Oats had brought in Chevrolet with all the clout they had with ABC did they change their mind & buy Bewitched.

Don't know about IDOJ at NBC, but a Jeannie was not controversial with the Bible Belt the way a Witch was.

Larry Tate :)
You'd think the folks there would be upset about an unmarried man and woman co-habitating...even if Jeannie did spend her nights in the bottle!! (Until the last season, that is...:lol:)

What kind of a thread did I go into? :eek: :faint: :lol:

What kind of a thread did I go into? :eek: :faint: :lol:
I'm the only woman on this thread, too - and am just going ohno: :rolleyes:. :lol:

It's all in your Mind...............It's all in your Mind..............Yoooooooour gooooooooooing to be Aaaaaaaaaaaaaaaall right!!!!!

Don't stay in this thread, Get out Meeeeeeeeeeeeore.............Join things......but not the sort of things suggested by this thread you might get Puuuuuuuuuuuuuuurrsecuted..............Get a Hobby, but no whips..................go the old fashioned way..................Ping Pong............ Ping Pong..............................

Harley Smidlap the Third.........................;)

I'm the only woman on this thread, too - and am just going ohno: :rolleyes:. :lol:

And there's one thing people who compare the two shows have forgotten about:In "Bewitched",Serena was fun-loving,never mean,never jealous of Samantha,and did not hit(or try)to hit upon Darrin.In "I Dream of Jeannie",the color episodes,her sister was always jealous of Jeannie,mean to her(Serena was never mean to Samantha),and most times tried to hit on Tony.

I don't agree, the two characters were very much alike & in fact the IDOJ one was a direct plageristic ripoff copy of Serena on Bewitched with both being wacky & far out & causing problems for the male leads in the shows with clear delight in doing so, the whole Blonde/Brunette cousin/sister thing, the similarities are incontrovertible in my view.

Fundamentally both characters were used the same way, to cause trouble & problems for the female lead in the show.

Larry Tate :)

And there's one thing people who compare the two shows have forgotten about:In "Bewitched",Serena was fun-loving,never mean,never jealous of Samantha,and did not hit(or try)to hit upon Darrin.In "I Dream of Jeannie",the color episodes,her sister was always jealous of Jeannie,mean to her(Serena was never mean to Samantha),and most times tried to hit on Tony.

I don't agree, the two characters were very much alike & in fact the IDOJ one was a direct plageristic ripoff copy of Serena on Bewitched with both being wacky & far out & causing problems for the male leads in the shows with clear delight in doing so, the whole Blonde/Brunette cousin/sister thing, the similarities are incontrovertible in my view.

Fundamentally both characters were used the same way, to cause trouble & problems for the female lead in the show.

Larry Tate :)
Also, I believe there WAS an episode where Serena was jealous of Samantha, and decided she wanted to marry a mortal too!

ABC initially passed on Bewitched because they feared a boycott of their deep south & midwest affiliates.

Only when CBS wanted to sign Bewitched up & Quaker Oats had brought in Chevrolet with all the clout they had with ABC did they change their mind & buy Bewitched.

Don't know about IDOJ at NBC, but a Jeannie was not controversial with the Bible Belt the way a Witch was.

Larry Tate :)That's very interesting.And a question:What do you mean by all the clout they (Chevrolet,I presume you mean)had with ABC?Please explain.

Throughout the 1950's the sponsor bought a time period & in effect owned that time & picked the show that would fill it & how it would be constructed and had in effect creative control.

Congress felt this gave corporate America too much say in matters that would influence the social fabric of America.

Laws were passed that took that power & control away from the Sponsor & gave it to the network & production company's.

This was about 1962 or so & was still not totally in effect when Bewitched was pitched to the networks.

So at that time Chevrolet had great control and clout with ABC being one of their major longterm sponsors so by bringing them on to Bewitched as a sponsor that created a tipping point that tipped things in favour of ABC Buying the show.

Larry Tate :)

That's very interesting.And a question:What do you mean by all the clout they (Chevrolet,I presume you mean)had with ABC?Please explain.

Something else Bewitched had, an extrordinary extensive supporting cast and reoccuring characters consisting of in addition to Endora, the bewitching Aunt Clara, Maurice, Serena, Uncle Arthur, Esmerelda & Dr. Bombay, and mortals Larry Tate, Gladys & Abner, Louise Tate, and Phyllis & Frank Stephens. It was always fun to tune in to each episode to see who pops up! And even if they only appeared occasionally, everyone was always referred to, giving us the feel they were close by!

Very good points all, the depth of Bewitched meant that there was always variety in the method it brought Joy into all of our hearts.

IDOJ could simply not match any of that.

Larry Tate :)

Something else Bewitched had, an extrordinary extensive supporting cast and reoccuring characters consisting of in addition to Endora, the bewitching Aunt Clara, Maurice, Serena, Uncle Arthur, Esmerelda & Dr. Bombay, and mortals Larry Tate, Gladys & Abner, Louise Tate, and Phyllis & Frank Stephens. It was always fun to tune in to each episode to see who pops up! And even if they only appeared occasionally, everyone was always referred to, giving us the feel they were close by!

And one final question:Which writers who did writing for "Bewitched",ALSO did writing for "I Dream of Jeannie"?Does anyone know?

James Henerson was fired for writing for both shows in season four when they found out he was writing for IDOJ as well as Bewitched.

From about Season Three on Bewitched writers were banned from writing for IDOJ.

Larry Tate :)

And one final question:Which writers who did writing for "Bewitched",ALSO did writing for "I Dream of Jeannie"?Does anyone know?

How about directors?I remember Larry Hagman saying when he and Barbara Eden and Bill Daily when they were on "Larry King Live"that one of his favorite directors on "I Dream of Jeannie"(and "Dallas")was E.W.Swackhamer.And a question.The director on the TV-movie "I Dream of Jeannie:15 Years Later"was William Asher.Yes,THE William Asher of "Bewitched".Why did he do it,if as has been said,there was animosity between "Bewitched" and "I Dream of Jeannie"in the 1960's?And another valid question:Did William Asher ever WANT to direct an episode of "I Dream of Jeannie"?

I own Seasons 3 & 4 of Jeannie on DVD since I consider them to be the best. But for some reason, I just can't get myself to like it as much as Bewitched. I mean, it's funny and all, but I don't know. It's hard to explain. I guess I like Bewitched better because of all the spells and all that they do. It makes the show more fun and entertaining. Jeannie seems more of a goofy show about a Jeannie that does magic stuff for her master. Bewitched goes way beyond that.

And,isn't it a coincidence that the episode the "Bewitched" episode "I Confess",which came first,and the "I Dream of Jeannie"episode "Hurricane Jeannie",both in which the truth about Samantha ("I Confess") and Jeannie ,("Hurricane Jeannie")both NEVER HAPPENED?By that,I mean Darrin only dreamt it in "I Confess" (courtesy of Samantha) and Jeannie and Tony made it(through her magic)that Dr.Bellows only imagined (with the use of the projector-like thing)him telling everything about Jeannie.

Oh,by the him in "Hurricane Jeannie",I meant Tony,aka Capt.Maj.Nelson.

That guy closed down his site... :mad:

Love that cartoon, maybe I should start getting into "Bewitched" if this is what goes on.

I actually have three of the Jeannie seasons on DVD and I have to say, it’s a hilarious show. My only gripe is that Jeannie can be a bit of a b**ch sometimes and it makes me want to smack her. I mean, she’s supposed to be a Jeannie that supposed to obey her master’s every wish, right? That’s the purpose of a Jeannie. Yet, there are several episodes where Jeannie flat out disobeys Tony or she does stuff without Tony’s request and it gets him into trouble. Or she gets mad at Tony and does terrible things to him out of anger. I mean, what kind of a Jeannie is that?? At least with Bewitched, Samantha cares a lot more for Darrin. If anyone gets Darrin into trouble, it’s her relatives, not her. And Samantha does everything in her power to get him out of the trouble that her relatives have caused. And besides, Samantha has more of a brain than Jeannie, lol. Sometimes, Jeannie can be real dumb, lol.

But with that said, I still say Jeannie is, by far, a sillier show with more slapstick involved. Since I’m a sucker for those, I do tend to find Jeannie a lot funnier. And Dr. Bellows is hilarious!! But just because it makes me laugh more, it doesn’t mean I like it better. Bewitched is a more of a mature show with less silliness. And the storylines are more creative and interesting. Because of that, Bewitched has more rewatchability than Jeannie.

Jeannie is good if you want to just relax and laugh after a hard days work. But Bewitched is good if you want to watch a more mature show with more creative storylines. And like I said earlier, I find myself wanting to smack Jeannie at times due to her stupidity and unreasonableness. But with Samantha, I ALWAYS find myself loving her and adoring her. And with all that said, I have to give my vote to Bewitched as the better show.

I basically agree with the above statement, the Jeannie episodes tend to be sillier with more laugh out loud moments, while Bewitched is a more cerebral type of show. I have DVD's of both, the one I choose to watch usually depends on the mood I'm in at the time. Picking a favorite of the two, I have to pick Jeannie because I like Barbara Eden better than Elizabeth Montgomery.

There are two types of people in this world thoes who perfer Samantha and thoes who perfer Jeannie

Yes - there were many 'similar themed' episodes (practically the same in number from BOTH SHOWS in which one show did something first and the other did it either the same year or a year or few years later. I'm sure you all probably know of several examples where Bewitched did an episode first. Below are a just a few examples where I Dream of Jeannie did an episode first.

Example I:

In the I Dream of Jeannie first season episode, #14 entitled "What House Across The Street?," Jeannie places a house on the vacant lot across the street (12/18/65). This house is for her fake mother and father, who she conjures up in a plot to make Anthony jealous. Dr. Bellows sees the house, and thinks
he's losing his mind.

In season 3, episode # 80, "Endora Moves In for a Spell," Endora also places the same house (used on I Dream of Jeannie) on the vacant lot across the street. Gladys sees the house, and thinks she's losing her mind (10/20/66).


Example II:

In the I Dream of Jeannie episode #54 "My Incredible Shrinking Master,"
Jeannie accidentally shrinks Tony down to doll size. Tony is seen being
threatened by a neighbor's cat (3/6/67).

In 141, "Samantha’s Wedding Present," Endora shrinks Darrin down to doll size. Darrin is seen being threatened by a neighbor's dog (9/26/68).

Example III:

In (season 1) #26 "My Master, the Great Rembrandt" (4/23/66) Jeannie switches
Tony's attempt at a Rembrandt with a real one.

Endora switches Sam's amateur attempts at painting with a professional's painting in (season 3) #98 "Art for Sam's Sake" (2/23/67) and later in #198 "Mona Sammy" (4/2/70) she replaces Van Gogh's signature on one of his original paintings with
that of Durweed's.

Example IV:

Jeannie blinks up a double of Tony whom has no problem marrying a genie
which is what Jeannie would like in (season 1) #15 "Too Many Tonys" (12/25/65).

Endora creates a double of Darrin, not once but twice. This occurs in episodes (season 2) #68 "Divided He Falls" (5/5/66) and (season 6) #185 "Samantha's Better Halves"
(1/1/70).

Example V:

In (season 1) #23 "Watch the Birdie" (2/26/66) Major Nelson's golf game is
magically assisted by Jeannie.

Samantha gives the same type of assistance to her husband two seasons later in (season 3) #114 "Birdies, Bogeys, and Baxter" (10/19/67).


There are many examples where each show did an episode first and the other did either an exact or very similar concept. Interestingly enough they have right at the same amount of episodes where one did something first and the other did it later. Interesting!


And,isn't it a coincidence that the episode the "Bewitched" episode "I Confess",which came first,and the "I Dream of Jeannie"episode "Hurricane Jeannie",both in which the truth about Samantha ("I Confess") and Jeannie ,("Hurricane Jeannie")both NEVER HAPPENED?By that,I mean Darrin only dreamt it in "I Confess" (courtesy of Samantha) and Jeannie and Tony made it(through her magic)that Dr.Bellows only imagined (with the use of the projector-like thing)him telling everything about Jeannie.

Hi 'Catlover',

I'm responding to your post (as opposed to another poster on this blog) because we've messaged before and you know my intentions are good and this is only to be fair minded:) I don't want to come across the wrong way! Also, I know this is all in fun and some of the posts are in jest but I had to make a comment. First off I am a HUGE Bewitched fan but am in the minority in that I am also a HUGE I Dream of Jeannie fan too. Therefore I like to be fair to both shows:)

In all fairness both shows were inspired by motion pictures - not 'rip offs' as some have stated by other series. Before Bewitched there were the movies "I Married a Witch" and the Screen Gems movie "Bell, Book and Candle". Though there are certain similarities to Bewitched and "Bell, Book and Candle" it is NOT a rip off. Similarly, I Dream of Jeannie was inspired by the 1964 movie "The Brass Bottle" in which Barbara Eden was in (with Berle Ives as the genie). Bewitched had only been on the air for two and a half months when the pilot for I Dream of Jeannie was filmed in Dec. of 1964. Therefore it had to have been written, cast, filmed, etc. which wouldn't give Sidney Sheldon much time to have "ripped off" anyone. Sheldon stated after seeing The Brass Bottle he wanted to do a story of a beautiful female genie as opposed to a big man like Berle Ives. Then Screen Gems, who produced Bewitched, wanted another supernatural sitcom hit for another network. When Sol Sacs declined to do another show about a witch, they asked Sidney Sheldon to come up with something. Also, the supernatural sitcom "My Favorite Martian" was on before either Bewitched or Jeannie but neither of them are copies of it.

As for Serena and Jeannie II it is important to note that I Dream of Jeannie creator Sidney Sheldon worked with Bewitched director William Asher on The Patty Duke Show BEFORE Bewitched OR I Dream of Jeannie. Sidney Sheldon CREATED and wrote virtually every script and Asher directed during the first part of this series. As most on this post probably know, the series revolves around identical cousins, though Sheldon FIRST WANTED to make them identical sisters (as he did with Jeannie / Jeannie II). However, William Asher suggested he make them cousins (as he did with Samantha / Serena). As with other similar themed story lines BOTH shows had virtually the same number of 'similar plots' where one series wrote the episode first (ex. Maj. Nelson is shrunk and chased by a neighbor's cat and two seasons later Darrin is shrunk and chased by a neighbor's dog). That is probably due to the simple fact that they had some of the same writers working on the Screen Gems shows. Sheldon has stated that he didn't see any of their scripts and to his knowledge no one from Bewitched saw any of theirs. Interesting history but I'm just glad - whatever the reasons of each show's conception and evolution- that we have two GREAT and ENDEARING supernatural sitcoms!



Sol Saks was the one who came up with the concept of the show, and wrote the pilot episode, I believe. His input ceased with that, but still got the creator credit. It really was Liz and Bill Asher who had the most creative input - and Danny Arnold is one of the most underrated TV writers of all time, responsible for two of my all-time fave shows, Bewitched and Barney Miller. :cool: :D

Yes, it is. Let's just stop the arguing. Otherwise, I'll have to lock the thread.

I actually have three of the Jeannie seasons on DVD and I have to say, it’s a hilarious show. My only gripe is that Jeannie can be a bit of a b**ch sometimes and it makes me want to smack her. I mean, she’s supposed to be a Jeannie that supposed to obey her master’s every wish, right? That’s the purpose of a Jeannie.

Well, maybe Samantha should of respected her husband's wishes for no witchcraft. She made me want to smack her. She married Darrin in a deceitful way, and should of at least had the decency to stick to her promise, out of respect for her husband. There should be trust and respect in a marriage. That's the purpose of a wife, right? As for Jeannie, the show would be pretty boring with Jeannie always obeying her master, and always being perfect and obedient. However, sometimes Jeannie does "obey" Tony, but it's more like mutual respect for a close friend rather than obedience. Major Nelson rarely commands her to do anything. He doesn't really wish for anything. You see, Jeannie is much more to Major Nelson than a mere Genie who simply grants wishes. Jeannie is not a typical Genie and Major Nelson is not a typical master. That's the point of the show. The show was a romantic comedy about a cute male astronaut and a cute female Genie who became best friends (with romantic feelings) who cared for each other and helped one another, and Jeannie is basically a free Genie. Major Nelson is "master" in name only. :)


Or she gets mad at Tony and does terrible things to him out of anger. I mean, what kind of a Jeannie is that?? At least with Bewitched, Samantha cares a lot more for Darrin. If anyone gets Darrin into trouble, it’s her relatives, not her. And Samantha does everything in her power to get him out of the trouble that her relatives have caused

Samantha should of stood up to her relatives more. Then her relatives wouldn't keep constantly causing trouble for her husband. Yet she kept letting them back in her life to cause her husband trouble. Her husband should come before her relatives. And Samantha and Darrin were married. She's his wife. She doesn't have to do things out of anger or jealousy (like Jeannie). She already has her man. There's a difference between a married couple relationship and a master/genie relationship.

Plus, to be fair, Samantha is not perfect, either. Samantha, herself, has also gotten Darrin in trouble a couple of times. She also married Darrin and kept the fact that she was a witch from him. That was very unfair of her to hide such a huge/important secret, and a bit manipulative. She also would sneak and use magic behind Darrin's back, which is disrespectful to your spouse. When Jeannie and Tony got married, Jeannie didn't do things to him out of anger like she did in the earlier seasons before he was her husband. Becoming husband and wife is quite different than being just genie and master. And Jeannie always gets Tony out of trouble as well. She cares a lot for Major Nelson as well. In fact, She has saved his life more than a few times. Jeannie has went to extremes for Tony. She went out of her way to get Tony married to another woman because she didn't want him to be alone when she thought she was jinxing him and had to leave. She wanted him to be truly happy. That was really sweet, selfless and considerate and showed how much she really cares for Tony. And usually when she does get Tony in trouble, she doesn't mean to do it. It is not intended. But she always does everything in her power to get him out of any trouble, even if she did not cause it.


. And besides, Samantha has more of a brain than Jeannie, lol. Sometimes, Jeannie can be real dumb, lol. .

Jeannie isn't dumb. She's just innocent and naive, especially after being locked up for 2,000 years. I don't expect someone with green and red blood to act like a normal human being. Plus, Jeannie is not even an American citizen. She is a product of a different time, country, and culture. Samantha isn't particulary smart. She just knows things that any human would know, and acts like any other typical normal human being/housewife. I loved that Jeannie was different and unique. She truly seemed like a magical being, a real fish out of water, which I found fascinating. Samantha was a typical, redundant normal-acting housewife.

Plus, Samantha was also born in Salem, which makes her an American. So, of course she fits in with humans (and American culture) better. Maybe witches are more human. However, she is not immune to being duped or tricked. She is constantly duped by Endora and other relatives when they put spells on Darrin. Even Endora has called her stupid. :lol:

Besides, Aunt Clara is a bit bumbling like Jeannie, and I think Aunt Clara is a loveable and adorable character just like Jeannie. I actually find it endearing. :D

But with that said, I still say Jeannie is, by far, a sillier show with more slapstick involved. Since I’m a sucker for those, I do tend to find Jeannie a lot funnier. And Dr. Bellows is hilarious!! But just because it makes me laugh more, it doesn’t mean I like it better. Bewitched is a more of a mature show with less silliness. And the storylines are more creative and interesting. Because of that, Bewitched has more rewatchability than Jeannie. .

I disagree that Bewitched is more creative, mature or interesting than Jeannie. Jeannie is also creative, mature and interesting. And both Bewitched and Jeannie can be silly. But I think Bewitched was more sillier with the leprachauns, tooth fairies, werewolves etc. However, I do agree that Jeannie is more funnier (and overall energetic and more fun) and laugh-out-loud than Bewitched. But that's not a negative. A comedy show is suppose to be funny. It would not being doing its job, if I am not laughing out loud. Therefore, Jeannie has more rewatchability for being creative, interesting, and mature.....plus energetic, fun, and more laugh out loud than Bewitched, IMO. :D


And like I said earlier, I find myself wanting to smack Jeannie at times due to her stupidity and unreasonableness. But with Samantha, I ALWAYS find myself loving her and adoring her. And with all that said, I have to give my vote to Bewitched as the better show.

I find myself wanting to slap Samantha for her stupidity in allowing herself to be duped by her family (over and over again), a family who constantly puts spells on her husband and tried to break up her marriage (over and over again), and for being meek and not standing up for herself and her heritage, yet being unreasonable, sneaky, and deceptive to her husband behind his back. She took vows. That should be taken seriously. I found her a bit hypocritical in that regard. If she wanted to marry Darrin and give up her roots, that's on her, but at least be honest about it. However, I honestly feel that a woman should never have to give up who they really are just to please a man. A husband should love you for who you truly are, not for whom he wants you to be. That's not the real you. A woman's husband should be proud of her and she should be proud of herself. But that was not the case with Bewitched. For that, I felt that Samantha was stupid and lacked self respect. But with Jeannie, I ALWAYS find myself loving her and adoring her. She was feisty, adorable, innocent, happy-go-lucky, and independent and most importantly loved for who she truly was.......a Genie. And her husband loved her being a Genie. And with that said, I have to give my vote to I Dream of Jeannie as the better show...by far. :D

Another I Dream of Jeannie Troll................Yaaaaaaaaaaaaawn...............!
Reverse all that you said and you'll be near the truth by the far.!!


I disagree that Bewitched is more creative, mature or interesting than Jeannie. Jeannie is also creative, mature and interesting. And both Bewitched and Jeannie can be silly. However, I do agree that Jeannie is more funnier (and overall energetic and more fun) and laugh-out-loud than Bewitched. But that's not a negative. A comedy show is suppose to be funny. It would not being doing its job, if I am not laughing out loud. Therefore, Jeannie has more rewatchability for being creative, interesting, and mature.....plus energetic, fun, and more laugh out loud than Bewitched, IMO. :D




I find myself wanting to slap Samantha for being meek and not standing up for herself and her heritage, yet being sneaky and deceptive to her husband behind his back. She took vows. That should be taken seriously. I found her a bit hypocritical in that regard. If she wanted to marry Darrin and give up her roots, that's on her, but at least be honest about it. However, I honestly feel that a woman should never have to give up who they really are just to please a man. A husband should love you for who you truly are, not for whom he wants you to be. That's not the real person. A woman's husband should be proud of her and she should be proud of herself. But that was not the case with Bewitched. For that, I felt that Samantha was stupid and lacked self respect. But with Jeannie, I ALWAYS find myself loving her and adoring her. She was feisty, adorable, innocent, happy-go-lucky, and independent and most importantly loved for who she truly was.......a Genie. And her husband loved her being a Genie. And with that said, I have to give my vote to I Dream of Jeannie as the better show, by far. :D

Another I Dream of Jeannie Troll................Yaaaaaaaaaaaaawn...............!
Reverse all that you said and you'll be near the truth by the far.!!

No. What I stated was the truth. No need to reverse. It wouldn't be honest. Not a troll at all. Just answering a post and stating my opinion. The poster stated her reasons for preferring BW, and I stated mine for preferring IDOJ. :)

I have all seasons of both shows, I adore Elizabeth Montgomery and Barbara Eden. I like the recurring extras better on Bewitched for the most part, but in a marathon viewing I could do more episodes of Jeannie. Actually, in a marathon viewing I would likely skip around the seasons with Bewitched, where as with Jeannie I could pop in most any disc and let it roll.

The poster who mentioned the supporting cast nailed it. You can disagree about the leads all you want, but Bewitched lasted longer because of the backbenchers. The show could go in different directions because of Larry Tate (the work angle),Endora ( the mother-in-law problems), Tabitha (parent/child situations), etc. Even though supporting, the Kravitz', Aunt Clara, Uncle Arthur, Mrs. Stephens , etc all had a strong presence on the show. As for IDOJ, I really like Bill Daily as Roger, but that was pretty much it. Bellows was an annoying one-note antagonist, and there was really no one beyond that.

Bewitched had an awesome supporting cast!

It is no coincidence that "I Dream of Jeannie" debuted in the 1965-66 season. "Bewitched," which premiered for 1964-65, was #2 that season in the Nielsen ratings, AND the most popular ABC-TV series up to that time. "Marcus Welby, M.D." made it to #1 in 1969...NBC wanted a little of Samantha's spell on the peacock network...all they got was smoke, mirrors, and Barbara Eden without a navel.

It's kinda like Chevrolet introducing the Camaro within two years of the debut of the Mustang. NBC wanted to capture "in a bottle", if you will, the magic of "Bewitched," but to me, the copycat was never as good as the original. Tony and Jeannie were more a master-slave relationship, literally, while Darrin and Samantha were more equals (if you consider a wife who was a witch an equal!).

And Jeannie boned the fish when she and Tony tied the knot in the last season. It was essentially the first season of Bewitched minus a strong antagonist like Endora (and Michael Ansara, who was still Barbara Eden's husband back in the day, was almost cartoonish compared to Agnes Moorhead's portrayal of Endora).

Perhaps the only one who really benefitted from "I Dream of Jeannie" was its creator, Sidney Sheldon. He became famous enough to write trashy romance novels ("The Other Side of Midnight," etc.) and turn them into Joan Collins-type movies!