#11: Questioning the Main Characters’ Tendencies
Larry Hagman often reflected on the unusual premise at the heart of I Dream of Jeannie. He played a straight-laced astronaut constantly sidestepping the affections of a beautiful, devoted genie — a dynamic that felt oddly reversed by traditional television standards.
Hagman found it amusing that Major Nelson, surrounded by temptation, remained focused on his military career and resisted any romantic involvement for years. Both characters seemed to avoid the very relationship the audience expected.