1965: 'I Dream of Jeannie' Begins on NBC
This day in 1965 marked the debut of I Dream of Jeannie, NBC's answer to ABC's hit series, Bewitched.
The lighthearted comedy starred Barbara Eden as a genie who falls for astronaut Tony Nelson (Larry Hagman) after he finds her genie bottle on a deserted island and releases her from captivity. She happily adopts him as her master, and much of the show's comedy comes from Jeannie's exuberant attempts to make her master happy — and from his attempts to keep her special powers secret.
The series, created by TV producer and novelist Sidney Sheldon, ran for five seasons.