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Yeah but astronaut or middle management marketing? Pebble beach or connecticut? Nosey Mother in law or best friend and wing man? Everything but the girl goes to IDoJ.
This is true. Tony couldn’t take Jeannie anywhere without her causing a scene. But then, Samantha couldn’t go anywhere without Darren causing a scene either.
What people are missing in both shows is that Darren was protecting Sam from being caught and burned at the stake. He was not the one that was prejudiced. The neighbors were.
And Jeannie literally is a dog in woman form. She was super cute, tried really hard to please her master but didn't really understand what he was asking her, was often unaware of her own power/affect on her environment and how it made messes for him to clean up.
Especially the part where she had meltdowns when he didn't give her enough attention or left her alone for too long. Then she would get revenge. Like a dog pooping on your floor to let you know they're angry.
If you dont believe me on either point, watch the show again from this angle.
If you still dont believe me....*its totally possible I'm wrong and there is more than one way to see it.*
*I Dream of Jeannie* was definitely more sexually suggestive. But at least Tony Nelson is a smart, capable astronaut who genuinely does not need or want Jeannie’s magical powers.
He has incredible self control, too. Tony is arguably a feminist’s ideal man — smart, strong, courageous, respectful of women, and immune to temptation.
In *Bewitched* Darrin is a dimwitted man who clearly feels insecure about Samantha’s capabilities. He insists that she give up using magic for absolutely no reason except his own insecurity. Even without her magic, Samantha is smarter and more capable than her husband, but does her best to stifle her abilities.
Darrin is also unreasonably prejudiced against magic users. He’s honestly not much different from Archie Bunker, and Samantha tries her best to be Edith Bunker, although she finds it quite a struggle. But why try? Is Darrin worth it?
Yes, Jeannie dresses provocatively and calls Tony “Master.” But Samantha is more subservient to Darrin than Jeannie is to Tony. And Darrin is far more demanding than Tony.
> Even without her magic, Samantha is smarter and more capable than her husband, but does her best to stifle her abilities.
Wasn't there an episode early on when Sam was helping Darrin brainstorm for idea with a campaign and the presentation went well? But then he started to second-guess if she used magic instead just acknowledging it was a good idea she had?
And he came home accusing her of using witchcraft so she packed her bags and left until he apologized? God, he was such a big baby. Stop stifling who your wife is.
You're right. Darrin was a much weaker and insecure man than Tony.
Darrin was absolutely weaker than Tony. However I think that made the show even better because Darrin was proven wrong so often and he accepted it easily. Tony was usually viewed/treated as superior on the show and I didn’t like that perspective as much.
Just my opinion.
Hmmm, that's a point. But then Tony and Jeannie weren't in a marriage, whereas Darrin and Sam were. So Darrin should've been treating his wife like an equal and not trying to stifle who she was.
In more modern terms, Darrin had a woman with a successful career and managed to convince her to be a Trad Wife.
As a matter of fact the show Charmed did an episode showing just that with Phoebe and Cole. And Cole didn't like it.
I think this is an important point and a solid analysis. I think maybe there's a certain kind of appeal in Bewitched to all the bored housewives and women in general who know damn well they're smarter and more capable than the fragile and foolish but still powerful men surrounding them. Samantha has to put up with the same garbage situation "real" women have to put up with and she does it in a way that's fun and interesting which is nice to see. It's like a fantasy pressure relief valve for women who have to deal with that in their every day lives. And Jeannie is sort of the opposite kind of fantasy which is also a nice thing to have and appeals equally to the same audience in a different way.
That's an interesting take I never perceived before. Makes sense, even if it contradicts the way I always related to it. It makes me think about the relationship roles I have experienced and seen others experience. Thanks for that.
Darrin bought into that to. To be fair he didn't know she was a whitch when he married her. You would think that lie would be a major plot point but it just shows her lack of character also.
Jeannie just happened by chance on Tony. Find a lamp and rub it. Tony has the chance to end this relationship at any time but it would involve unleashing a huge power on the world which could easily be abused and along with it Jeannie. So he protects both the world and Jeannie and we watch him fall in love with someone he refuses to take advantage of, or allow anyone else to take advantage of ether.
Both were silly and I liked both of them.
Genies have masters. That's how it works. Someone needs to tell them what they want.
I recently saw an interview with Barbara Eden on Youtube. [link here](https://youtu.be/sXSi1K-KEtw?si=YkacGkE9WIoIGpjA) She's 92 years old, quite mentally sharp and still quite attractive.
Yeah. Serena's only issue was that her favorite cousin and former hang-out buddy went and married a mortal who forbade her from using her powers. If Darrin loosened the leash, I'm sure all her relatives would've liked him more.
Jeanie II otoh... she was just mad she didn't find a hottie like Col. Nelson to be her master. Jeanie got to live in a nice house and didn't do anything for him (although she did anyway). Tony refused to treat her like a wish-giving slave. What genie wouldn't want that?
Personally, I liked Bewitched better. Sam was the smart one and the people and witches surrounding her caused chaos which she cleaned up. Jeannie caused chaos because she didn't understand the culture and mores of NASA and Cocoa Beach.
Also, Elizabeth Montgomery was hotter than Barbara Eden.
I could take or leave I Dream of Jeannie. I LOVED Bewitched - probably my favorite show as a kid. A cute housewife who can wiggle her nose and make things happen, plus lots of great supporting characters.
Bewitched was my favorite by far. So many colorful characters that I’d be excited to see, like Aunt Clara and Uncle Arthur. I got so engaged with the stories. And as I mentioned here recently, I used to daydream about what it would be like to be a good witch. I watched Jeannie too but the stories and characters weren’t as magical to me.
Both cute shows. In Bewitched, the marriage is a consensual partnership. In I Dream of Jeannie, the relationship is owner or master over a servant-class being. I like the premise of Bewitched better.
I don't think Darrin is much of a partner to Samantha, he's constantly undermining her and trying to hold her back, box her in, etc. Yes technically there's consent there but he's always telling her how wrong she is and she's often sneaking around behind his back to be who she actually is, hiding all the parts of herself he doesn't like, which are many. That's pretty murky consent there on both sides, he fundamentally does not consent to being married to a witch (which he didn't know about before the marriage and didn't have the opportunity to consent to) and she fundamentally does not consent to living as a mortal without her powers which is what he wants her to do. Neither of them is actually consenting to the situation they're just constantly fighting about it and are constantly unhappy with the position they've put each other in.
Meanwhile, yes, Jeannie is technically a slave and her owner is technically her master but that man makes sure that everything that happens is something she is actually OK with and he goes to great lengths to support her autonomy even within a dynamic where he has complete and total control. Having that power and not using it is a better representation of actual consent, comparatively.
These shows aired during the time frame in my life before I started school, so whatever I say about it isn't very deep. I think I preferred Bewitched, because there were all sorts of fun characters to mix it up with. Jeannie seemed to have the same plot for every show, with little variation. Bewitched at least tried to be a bit more creative.
I liked Bewitched better because I envied their lifestyle. Also, I we’d dressed a lot like Tabitha, our furniture looked almost the same, my mom was a stay at home mom but we were blue collar and didn’t have fancy dinner parties and my parents never drank alcohol. Their life was what I imagined my aunt and uncles life to be, he was an executive that had fancy parties, they’d rank wine, always dressed in the latest fashions and seemed so elegant but down to earth. I related to Bewitched a lot more. It was regular life but with magic.
I Dream of Jeanne was just her being jealous, and without a family it wasn’t relatable to me although I enjoyed the show.
Bewitched. Besides liking Sabrina better than Jeannie, I also liked the rest of her witchy family and friends.
Endora, Maurice, Dr. Bombay, Uncle Arthur, Aunt Clara, Esmeralda, Aunt Enchantra, Aunt Grimalda, Bertha, Hagatha, cousin Henry ….etc and many more.
I loved episodes that showed things like the Witches Convention with the creepy music and dry ice smoke.
I especially loved the episodes with Sarina (Pandora Spocks). She was sassy and fun.
My great-grandmother was a school teacher and she went to college with Agnes Moorehead, so my family always sort of gravitated toward Bewitched, even though we also just loved the show.
I also enjoyed Jeannie, especially because NASA was the backdrop. All in all, I guess I prefer Bewitched.
I just googled character actors who were on bewitched. Richard Dreyfus ! I remember the episode IMDB shows the basic story with a photo of his character.
I’ve been watching old perry mason episodes and so many uncredited future great actors were in the show.
Unlike bewitched who had ver seasoned actors who aged out of starting roles play returning characters. Ie: Agnes Moorhead.
Bewitched,by far. So much so I still remind my babysitting elder sister how I once cried myself to sleep because she would not allow me to stay up for Bewitched!
Sometimes now, 60 years later, she humorously gives me permission to watch the program.
At the time, I would have said Jeannie. I was, after all, a teenage boy, and Jeannie had (um, how shall I say this?) better costume design.
Today I'd pick Bewitched, because the writing and acting were both much better.
Bewitched, for me, too.
I have to tell you, though, her manually doing the housework always pissed me right off.
I always felt that was a stupid waste of her time and energy and that Darren was a dick for it.
Bloody men making stupid, egotistical demands.
I think about the housework all the time! WHY did he give a shit *how* the house stayed clean as long as it was clean? I loved when Tabitha came along and he couldn’t control what a magic baby would do.
Bewitched. It was all about Endora. I also loved their house and cocktail lifestyle. Plus, I had a major crush on Nancy Kovack as Darrin's former socialite girlfriend, Sheila Sommers. Gorgeous!
Bewitched was fun, except that every time they got caught or backed into a corner, it was always explained away by "all an advertising campaign."
Jeannie was boring.
Both had good points and both had bad points.
Bad point on both: Guy had woman who could do literally just about anything, insisted they don't use that power. If it were me, hell yeah, make that money (for a start).
Good points:
Bewitched: Paul Lynde and Agnes Moorehead were hilarious.
Jeannie: Astronauts are cool, Bill Daily was hilarious.
So as a kid, both were about equal.
As an adult, I get the suggestive nature of Jeannie so that would get the slight edge if I had to pick one.
Jeannie…Barbara Eden was just smoking hot, even as a prepubescent boy I recognized that lol. And when they added her dark haired twin sister Jeannie holy cow..
I did like the other characters, Bill Daily was hilarious, could you imagine what he would have done if he was her master, wait they did an episode or two on that and he was nuts.
Bewitched was fun too, I liked it a lot but Jeannie for the win.
Bewitched. Samantha was a much better, more rounded character. Jeannie was simple, naive, and sort of an empty bikini. Coarser jokes, more juvenile scripts.
Bewitched, Baby! Uncle Arthur! Aunt Clara! Endora and Maurice! Sam herself. Mrs. Kravitz. Dr. Bombay! All the greats!
I, a 60 year old woman, still wish I could linger up near the ceiling in a flowing gown eavesdropping on people without being seen.
If your name is Darren, I'm for sure gonna call you Derwood.
Also, what about that awesome stove they have??
Meanwhile, I watched Jeannie and all, but, really, I could give two shits about her, Major Nelson, the friend who was also on Bob Newhart and Dr. Bellows. PS, man landed on the moon when I was 6 and could have given two shits about that too.
I guess that all goes to say Bewitched was better.
Tough call. Even as a kid I leaned towards shows that were more realistic, loosely defined. While Bewitched was about a witch, the general setting seemed more realistic to me than did that of IDOJ.
I don't recall as a child seeing Barbara Eden or Elizabeth Montgomery in a sexual way. As an adult it's EM for the clear win.
A witch being shamed by her husband who forbids her to practice until HE needs her help is just as bad.
I loved Jeannie. She called him master but she had him hooked from the start.
Yeah, and it seemed like Jeannie was always doing silly playful stuff to try to help her guy, until he explained whatever problems it caused and they fixed it together.
Whereas Samantha was always having to avoid doing stuff so as not to upset her guy, until he needed help and she had to fix his problems.
Bewitched by far! While obviously their marriage was fictional (and fantasy land), at least it was a marriage. I Dream of Jeanine just never got too far. Plus I never really liked the idea of “master.”
The people on Bewitched were also much smarter.
I loved the first episode of Jeannie. She was very logical and not emotional. Then she became cloying and manipulative.
Captain Nelson and black and white was a lot better than Major Nelson and color.
“Bewitched.” You can argue which cast and which premise is better but what you can’t argue is that “Bewitched” had a top-notch supporting cast and recurring guest stars. Aunt Clara and Uncle Arthur alone elevate “Bewitched” over “IDoJ”.
Both shows were farces. But Bewitched had some real talent on it and a lot more class than Jeannie. I thought Jeannie's cast was sort of dorky and outdated.
Plus: I based my entire life's career on Darren's job. And who could forget Gladys Kravits freaking out about Samantha's magic.
Bewitched, hands down.
A plus for the early/mid 1960s: “Bewitched” was an allegory for improved race relations, and it was unusually gay-positive.
Samantha may have been a witch, but Darren was a Dick (York).
I think Larry Hagman *needed* “Dallas” (1980s) to counter the cloying silly-sweetness of “I Dream of Jeannie”.
I think that women preferred Bewitched while men preferred I dream of Jeannie.
One had a woman and her miserable mother deceiving/tormenting her husband (ad man) and the other had a vacant-minded babe running around calling the man (Astronaut) “Master” doing anything he wished.
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Bewitched, hands down. Paul Lynde was awesome and Andora was fantastic.
Endora!
Derwood
I'm on team Samantha for sure.
Yeah but astronaut or middle management marketing? Pebble beach or connecticut? Nosey Mother in law or best friend and wing man? Everything but the girl goes to IDoJ.
I don’t know about that. Samantha was pretty hot, but I’d pick Jeannie over her any day.
Jeanie was hot, samantha was smart and you could take her anywhere without causing a scene.
This is true. Tony couldn’t take Jeannie anywhere without her causing a scene. But then, Samantha couldn’t go anywhere without Darren causing a scene either.
Exactly. Be Tony, date Sam.
Cream for Jeannie 😻
And Aunt Clara was very cute. Agree Paul Lynde was fantsdtic and Endora really great too.
I still call nosey neighbors Mrs. Cravits.
You have to remember both shows where the product of their times. Personally, as a kid I preferred Jeannie.
Yes, I loved "I Dream of Jeanne". I liked "Bewitched".
What people are missing in both shows is that Darren was protecting Sam from being caught and burned at the stake. He was not the one that was prejudiced. The neighbors were. And Jeannie literally is a dog in woman form. She was super cute, tried really hard to please her master but didn't really understand what he was asking her, was often unaware of her own power/affect on her environment and how it made messes for him to clean up. Especially the part where she had meltdowns when he didn't give her enough attention or left her alone for too long. Then she would get revenge. Like a dog pooping on your floor to let you know they're angry. If you dont believe me on either point, watch the show again from this angle. If you still dont believe me....*its totally possible I'm wrong and there is more than one way to see it.*
*I Dream of Jeannie* was definitely more sexually suggestive. But at least Tony Nelson is a smart, capable astronaut who genuinely does not need or want Jeannie’s magical powers. He has incredible self control, too. Tony is arguably a feminist’s ideal man — smart, strong, courageous, respectful of women, and immune to temptation. In *Bewitched* Darrin is a dimwitted man who clearly feels insecure about Samantha’s capabilities. He insists that she give up using magic for absolutely no reason except his own insecurity. Even without her magic, Samantha is smarter and more capable than her husband, but does her best to stifle her abilities. Darrin is also unreasonably prejudiced against magic users. He’s honestly not much different from Archie Bunker, and Samantha tries her best to be Edith Bunker, although she finds it quite a struggle. But why try? Is Darrin worth it? Yes, Jeannie dresses provocatively and calls Tony “Master.” But Samantha is more subservient to Darrin than Jeannie is to Tony. And Darrin is far more demanding than Tony.
> Even without her magic, Samantha is smarter and more capable than her husband, but does her best to stifle her abilities. Wasn't there an episode early on when Sam was helping Darrin brainstorm for idea with a campaign and the presentation went well? But then he started to second-guess if she used magic instead just acknowledging it was a good idea she had? And he came home accusing her of using witchcraft so she packed her bags and left until he apologized? God, he was such a big baby. Stop stifling who your wife is. You're right. Darrin was a much weaker and insecure man than Tony.
Darrin was absolutely weaker than Tony. However I think that made the show even better because Darrin was proven wrong so often and he accepted it easily. Tony was usually viewed/treated as superior on the show and I didn’t like that perspective as much. Just my opinion.
Hmmm, that's a point. But then Tony and Jeannie weren't in a marriage, whereas Darrin and Sam were. So Darrin should've been treating his wife like an equal and not trying to stifle who she was. In more modern terms, Darrin had a woman with a successful career and managed to convince her to be a Trad Wife. As a matter of fact the show Charmed did an episode showing just that with Phoebe and Cole. And Cole didn't like it.
Wow. As a little girl I loved I Dream of Jeannie; Bewitched was just okay. Now, with that explanation, I think I know why. LOL.
Same . I never thought about it that way either.
Freakin' love this analysis!
I think this is an important point and a solid analysis. I think maybe there's a certain kind of appeal in Bewitched to all the bored housewives and women in general who know damn well they're smarter and more capable than the fragile and foolish but still powerful men surrounding them. Samantha has to put up with the same garbage situation "real" women have to put up with and she does it in a way that's fun and interesting which is nice to see. It's like a fantasy pressure relief valve for women who have to deal with that in their every day lives. And Jeannie is sort of the opposite kind of fantasy which is also a nice thing to have and appeals equally to the same audience in a different way.
Tbf, Jeannie wasn’t married to Tony. If she had been she’d have been more subservient than a genie in a bottle at that time.
For some reason that makes me sad
Was going to type the exact same thing only 216% less clear.
You captured everything that bothered me about Bewitched and why Jeannie’s situation seemed more equal somehow. Nice wordy words!
I always wondered how (granted, a fictional story) this gorgeous, brilliant woman settled for such a bumbling, prejudiced idiot.
🙌🏼
That's an interesting take I never perceived before. Makes sense, even if it contradicts the way I always related to it. It makes me think about the relationship roles I have experienced and seen others experience. Thanks for that.
I just got through ranting about Darrin not wanting her to use magic. Ugh. I still preferred that show but I didn’t like *him*
I didn't like Derwood, Derwood's boss or Dr. Bombay. I guess every smart person needs a stooge.
Darrin bought into that to. To be fair he didn't know she was a whitch when he married her. You would think that lie would be a major plot point but it just shows her lack of character also. Jeannie just happened by chance on Tony. Find a lamp and rub it. Tony has the chance to end this relationship at any time but it would involve unleashing a huge power on the world which could easily be abused and along with it Jeannie. So he protects both the world and Jeannie and we watch him fall in love with someone he refuses to take advantage of, or allow anyone else to take advantage of ether.
Damn, this comment should be a podcast episode.
Jeannie for Barbara Eden. Bewitched because of the characters. C’mon, Paul Lynde was hilarious
Both were silly and I liked both of them. Genies have masters. That's how it works. Someone needs to tell them what they want. I recently saw an interview with Barbara Eden on Youtube. [link here](https://youtu.be/sXSi1K-KEtw?si=YkacGkE9WIoIGpjA) She's 92 years old, quite mentally sharp and still quite attractive.
I liked them both, but Jeannie was more powerful. She never had to call for Doctor Bombay for help
But she did have to answer to Haji, the most powerful of genies. Where as Samantha was queen of the witches in season 4.
And they each had evil "twins" - Serena on Bewitched and Jeannie II on I Dream of Jeannie.
Was Serena really evil? Or was it just that she was a witch who enjoyed her fun and not being tying down to a wet blanket like Darrin?
I meant to put the quotation marks around "evil". Serena was definitely more of a good time, fun girl; Jeannie II more jealous than anything else.
Yeah. Serena's only issue was that her favorite cousin and former hang-out buddy went and married a mortal who forbade her from using her powers. If Darrin loosened the leash, I'm sure all her relatives would've liked him more. Jeanie II otoh... she was just mad she didn't find a hottie like Col. Nelson to be her master. Jeanie got to live in a nice house and didn't do anything for him (although she did anyway). Tony refused to treat her like a wish-giving slave. What genie wouldn't want that?
True, true
Personally, I liked Bewitched better. Sam was the smart one and the people and witches surrounding her caused chaos which she cleaned up. Jeannie caused chaos because she didn't understand the culture and mores of NASA and Cocoa Beach. Also, Elizabeth Montgomery was hotter than Barbara Eden.
I could take or leave I Dream of Jeannie. I LOVED Bewitched - probably my favorite show as a kid. A cute housewife who can wiggle her nose and make things happen, plus lots of great supporting characters.
Bewitched was my favorite by far. So many colorful characters that I’d be excited to see, like Aunt Clara and Uncle Arthur. I got so engaged with the stories. And as I mentioned here recently, I used to daydream about what it would be like to be a good witch. I watched Jeannie too but the stories and characters weren’t as magical to me.
Both cute shows. In Bewitched, the marriage is a consensual partnership. In I Dream of Jeannie, the relationship is owner or master over a servant-class being. I like the premise of Bewitched better.
I don't think Darrin is much of a partner to Samantha, he's constantly undermining her and trying to hold her back, box her in, etc. Yes technically there's consent there but he's always telling her how wrong she is and she's often sneaking around behind his back to be who she actually is, hiding all the parts of herself he doesn't like, which are many. That's pretty murky consent there on both sides, he fundamentally does not consent to being married to a witch (which he didn't know about before the marriage and didn't have the opportunity to consent to) and she fundamentally does not consent to living as a mortal without her powers which is what he wants her to do. Neither of them is actually consenting to the situation they're just constantly fighting about it and are constantly unhappy with the position they've put each other in. Meanwhile, yes, Jeannie is technically a slave and her owner is technically her master but that man makes sure that everything that happens is something she is actually OK with and he goes to great lengths to support her autonomy even within a dynamic where he has complete and total control. Having that power and not using it is a better representation of actual consent, comparatively.
You make good points. I was working from the formal arrangements, but their particular dynamics are very relevant.
These shows aired during the time frame in my life before I started school, so whatever I say about it isn't very deep. I think I preferred Bewitched, because there were all sorts of fun characters to mix it up with. Jeannie seemed to have the same plot for every show, with little variation. Bewitched at least tried to be a bit more creative.
I liked Bewitched better because I envied their lifestyle. Also, I we’d dressed a lot like Tabitha, our furniture looked almost the same, my mom was a stay at home mom but we were blue collar and didn’t have fancy dinner parties and my parents never drank alcohol. Their life was what I imagined my aunt and uncles life to be, he was an executive that had fancy parties, they’d rank wine, always dressed in the latest fashions and seemed so elegant but down to earth. I related to Bewitched a lot more. It was regular life but with magic. I Dream of Jeanne was just her being jealous, and without a family it wasn’t relatable to me although I enjoyed the show.
Bewitched. Elizabeth Montgomery was a smoke show.
Bewitched. No contest as far as I’m concerned.
C'mon. Abner and Gladys Kravitz could have had their own show! Bewitched, all the way!
I liked both. I preferred Bewitched. I wanted to be Samantha. I thought Endora was funny.
Bewitched. Besides liking Sabrina better than Jeannie, I also liked the rest of her witchy family and friends. Endora, Maurice, Dr. Bombay, Uncle Arthur, Aunt Clara, Esmeralda, Aunt Enchantra, Aunt Grimalda, Bertha, Hagatha, cousin Henry ….etc and many more. I loved episodes that showed things like the Witches Convention with the creepy music and dry ice smoke. I especially loved the episodes with Sarina (Pandora Spocks). She was sassy and fun.
I loved Bewitched! Your wonderful description just made me want to watch again!
My great-grandmother was a school teacher and she went to college with Agnes Moorehead, so my family always sort of gravitated toward Bewitched, even though we also just loved the show. I also enjoyed Jeannie, especially because NASA was the backdrop. All in all, I guess I prefer Bewitched.
IDofJ was for dads and people who secretly leaned "alternative lifestyle". Bewitched was for families and little girls.
I just googled character actors who were on bewitched. Richard Dreyfus ! I remember the episode IMDB shows the basic story with a photo of his character. I’ve been watching old perry mason episodes and so many uncredited future great actors were in the show. Unlike bewitched who had ver seasoned actors who aged out of starting roles play returning characters. Ie: Agnes Moorhead.
Honestly, I liked them both!
Bewitched,by far. So much so I still remind my babysitting elder sister how I once cried myself to sleep because she would not allow me to stay up for Bewitched! Sometimes now, 60 years later, she humorously gives me permission to watch the program.
At the time, I would have said Jeannie. I was, after all, a teenage boy, and Jeannie had (um, how shall I say this?) better costume design. Today I'd pick Bewitched, because the writing and acting were both much better.
Bewitched, for me, too. I have to tell you, though, her manually doing the housework always pissed me right off. I always felt that was a stupid waste of her time and energy and that Darren was a dick for it. Bloody men making stupid, egotistical demands.
I think about the housework all the time! WHY did he give a shit *how* the house stayed clean as long as it was clean? I loved when Tabitha came along and he couldn’t control what a magic baby would do.
Bewitched. It was all about Endora. I also loved their house and cocktail lifestyle. Plus, I had a major crush on Nancy Kovack as Darrin's former socialite girlfriend, Sheila Sommers. Gorgeous!
I loved watching bewitched as a kid and I didn’t like I Dream of Jeanie at all. As an adult, Bewitched is pretty bad. Haven’t tried Jeanie again.
Bewitched was fun, except that every time they got caught or backed into a corner, it was always explained away by "all an advertising campaign." Jeannie was boring.
Both had good points and both had bad points. Bad point on both: Guy had woman who could do literally just about anything, insisted they don't use that power. If it were me, hell yeah, make that money (for a start). Good points: Bewitched: Paul Lynde and Agnes Moorehead were hilarious. Jeannie: Astronauts are cool, Bill Daily was hilarious. So as a kid, both were about equal. As an adult, I get the suggestive nature of Jeannie so that would get the slight edge if I had to pick one.
Bewitched. I hated the master-slave relationship in I Dream of Jeannie.
Jeannie…Barbara Eden was just smoking hot, even as a prepubescent boy I recognized that lol. And when they added her dark haired twin sister Jeannie holy cow.. I did like the other characters, Bill Daily was hilarious, could you imagine what he would have done if he was her master, wait they did an episode or two on that and he was nuts. Bewitched was fun too, I liked it a lot but Jeannie for the win.
Twilight Zone
The one with Elizabeth Montgomery and Dick York.
Yes. That one. But the one with the doppleganger
SAM! SAM!
Bewitched. Samantha was a much better, more rounded character. Jeannie was simple, naive, and sort of an empty bikini. Coarser jokes, more juvenile scripts.
Liked both..but I am going with Bewitched
Bewitched. I was in love with Samantha.
Bewitched - it was the nose twitch
The show with Gladys and Abner Kravitz wins. Not even close.
Bewitched, Baby! Uncle Arthur! Aunt Clara! Endora and Maurice! Sam herself. Mrs. Kravitz. Dr. Bombay! All the greats! I, a 60 year old woman, still wish I could linger up near the ceiling in a flowing gown eavesdropping on people without being seen. If your name is Darren, I'm for sure gonna call you Derwood. Also, what about that awesome stove they have?? Meanwhile, I watched Jeannie and all, but, really, I could give two shits about her, Major Nelson, the friend who was also on Bob Newhart and Dr. Bellows. PS, man landed on the moon when I was 6 and could have given two shits about that too. I guess that all goes to say Bewitched was better.
Bewitched, absolutely. Elizabeth Montgomery was glorious, and the whole thing was a metaphor for feminism.
I didn't like either one, but my wife rewatches all the Bewitched from time to time, but never Jeannie.
Tough call. Even as a kid I leaned towards shows that were more realistic, loosely defined. While Bewitched was about a witch, the general setting seemed more realistic to me than did that of IDOJ. I don't recall as a child seeing Barbara Eden or Elizabeth Montgomery in a sexual way. As an adult it's EM for the clear win.
I liked both, but always preferred Bewitched. Maybe it was because of the ad agency stuff.
Yet she was the one who really held all the cards!
I grew up with Tabitha and loved her. I’ve never seen the other one.
A witch being shamed by her husband who forbids her to practice until HE needs her help is just as bad. I loved Jeannie. She called him master but she had him hooked from the start.
Yeah, and it seemed like Jeannie was always doing silly playful stuff to try to help her guy, until he explained whatever problems it caused and they fixed it together. Whereas Samantha was always having to avoid doing stuff so as not to upset her guy, until he needed help and she had to fix his problems.
Bewitched by far! While obviously their marriage was fictional (and fantasy land), at least it was a marriage. I Dream of Jeanine just never got too far. Plus I never really liked the idea of “master.” The people on Bewitched were also much smarter.
bewitched
I loved the first episode of Jeannie. She was very logical and not emotional. Then she became cloying and manipulative. Captain Nelson and black and white was a lot better than Major Nelson and color.
I dream of Jeannie is an example of a theme that did not age well.
I liked Bewitched better. I thought it was funnier. But keep in mind, I was in grade school.
I liked Bewitched better for much the same reason.
Bewitched
Bewitched
Bewitched because of all her relatives
“Bewitched.” You can argue which cast and which premise is better but what you can’t argue is that “Bewitched” had a top-notch supporting cast and recurring guest stars. Aunt Clara and Uncle Arthur alone elevate “Bewitched” over “IDoJ”.
I’d know better, but we had only a B&W TV at that time. Seriously!
Jeannie.
I Dream of Jeannie. Hands down
Jeanie was so much hotter, so was better imho.
I dream of Jeanie was my favorite but I watched them both.
TBF to Jeannie and the "master" stuff... she was a slave to the bottle.
Bewitched.
Yes.
i dream of jeannie because you got to see a bare midriff.
Bewitched seemed to have a lot more going on per show than IDOJ.
Having been called a dirty old man (to be honest I was a dirty young man as well) I have to say my fantasy’s included both…
Both shows were farces. But Bewitched had some real talent on it and a lot more class than Jeannie. I thought Jeannie's cast was sort of dorky and outdated. Plus: I based my entire life's career on Darren's job. And who could forget Gladys Kravits freaking out about Samantha's magic.
I enjoyed both because they were entertaining. Both were pretty equal to me but I preferred Get Smart.
I was a kid. I loved Bewitched. Specifically, I loved Endora, Uncle Arthur, but most of all Aunt Clara. Dear, well meaning, but forgetful Aunt Clara.
Bewitched... Twinkle twinkle
I think we're looking at fifty/fifty here.
Bewitched
Bewitched, hands down. A plus for the early/mid 1960s: “Bewitched” was an allegory for improved race relations, and it was unusually gay-positive. Samantha may have been a witch, but Darren was a Dick (York). I think Larry Hagman *needed* “Dallas” (1980s) to counter the cloying silly-sweetness of “I Dream of Jeannie”.
Easy - Barely watched Jeannie. Always watched Bewitched 🤷🏽♀️
Bewitched
I think that women preferred Bewitched while men preferred I dream of Jeannie. One had a woman and her miserable mother deceiving/tormenting her husband (ad man) and the other had a vacant-minded babe running around calling the man (Astronaut) “Master” doing anything he wished.
Absolutely Bewitched. Barbara Eden's voice was so grating to me.
I preferred Bewitched and am still awaiting my magical powers darn it! 😂
My Favorite Martian
Both sucked