Quick Links
When most people think about sitcoms today, it is shows like Friends, Seinfeld, and The Office that they envision. While all of those shows definitely deserve a lot of credit for their cultural impact, they pale in comparison to some sitcoms from the past.
When those three shows were on the air, viewers had so many sitcoms to choose from. On top of that, viewers now have more options than ever before since they can go to streaming services like Netflix to find sitcoms to watch. Back during the '60s and early-'70s when new episodes of I Dream of Jeannie aired, however, viewers had three networks to choose from and maybe one or two local channels. As a result, even though I Dream of Jeannie never was one of the highest-rated shows on television, episodes got 20 million viewers at the series' peak.
Able to amass a dedicated fan following, to say the least, I Dream of Jeannie was beloved by so many people that it continues to air in reruns decades after it first aired. With that in mind, it begs an obvious question, why was I Dream of Jeannie canceled?
What Happened To I Dream Of Jeannie?
From 1965 until 1970, 139 episodes of I Dream of Jeannie aired as the medium of television went through a titanic change. Originally aired in black and white, later episodes of I Dream of Jeannie were broadcast in color, and the early ones eventually were colorized.
A combination of comedy and fantasy, I Dream of Jeannie focused on a human male named Tony and the female genie named Jeannie that granted his wishes. Thanks to that premise, fans knew they were going to see some crazy hijinx during each episode of I Dream of Jeannie.
After five years of success, I Dream of Jeannie was unceremoniously canceled to the surprise of many fans. After the show ended, it was only three years later that a spin-off animated series titled Jeannie premiered.
Even though the animated show was very different from the live-action series, the fact that the spin-off show debuted so quickly is really puzzling. After all, if the network wanted a Jeannie show on the air, why not stick with the original series?
According to I Dream of Jeannie's main stars, the show was canceled so abruptly as a result of a single creative decision. Over the years, Barbara Eden and Larry Hagman have expressed their opinion that one plot line ruined I Dream of Jeannie.
Even though Jeannie wasn't human, one of the keys to I Dream of Jeannie's success was that fans enjoyed watching her pursue Tony romantically. Fans especially enjoyed that even though Tony repeatedly rejected Jeannie, it was clear that he felt the attraction too.
Surprisingly enough, even though viewers enjoyed the will they or won't they dynamic Jeannie and Tony had, they seemingly hated it when the characters got married. At least, that is the case according to Eden and Hagman as both of them have blamed the marriage for I Dream of Jeannie's cancelation.
During a 2015 appearance on the Today Show, Eden didn't mince words when she expressed her opinion that the marriage destroyed I Dream of Jeannie.
“It just ruined the show. Because [Jeannie] wasn’t human. … She thought she was, and [Tony] knew she wasn’t … I think it broke credibility.”
For his part, Hagman expressed a similar sentiment during a separate interview he took part in before his passing.
"I knew that once they got us married, it wasn't going to work and the ratings had dropped steadily since then."
While it may be hard to believe that a single creative decision could destroy a sitcom, it is widely agreed the ratings tanked after the wedding. On top of that, it certainly seems like the decision to cancel I Dream of Jeannie was made abruptly considering how Hagman says he learned the show was over.
"I wanted to get something from my dressing room at the studio. And I drove down there and going through the gate and I said 'Hi Bill, how are you doing?' and he said 'Mr. Hagman, can I help you?'
"I said 'yeah, I'm just going to check in my dressing room' and he said 'you haven't heard?' and I said 'no, I haven't heard what?' and he says 'the show's been canceled'. And that's the first time I heard about it. From the guy at the gate."
Whose Idea Was It For Jeannie And Tony To Get Married?
After I Dream of Jeannie was canceled, series stars Barbara Eden and Larry Hagman both went on to enjoy many years of success as actors. In fact, Hagman went on to portray another legendary television character, J. R. Ewing from the hit show Dallas.
Even though Hagman and Eden were able to maintain their careers, their frustration with the wedding storyline seems pretty obvious. On top of that, based on how they talk about that creative decision, it seems like both of them were against it from the start.
Of course, somebody had to think that Jeannie and Tony getting married was a great idea. According to reports, an NBC executive who had power at that time named Mort Werner was the one who pushed for Tony and Jeannie to tie the knot.
Amazingly enough, it has been reported that the man who created and executive produced I Dream of Jeannie was totally against the show's leads getting married. As Sidney Sheldon has said in an interview, he argued against the executive's decision.
“’That would destroy the show, Mort. The fun of Jeannie is the sexual tension between Jeannie and her master. Once you marry them, that’s gone. You have nothing to work with.’”
Sheldon obviously wasn't able to convince Werner, the wedding storyline went forward, and the rest is television history.