Serena and Jeannie II all you need to know

Bewitched and I dream of Jeannie were 2 of the most popular television programs during the 1960’s. Each show was about a woman who was different because she was not mortal but was in love with a human. Bewitched ran from 1964 until 1974 on ABC while I Dream of Jeannie was on ABC from 1965 until 1970. Both main characters Jeannie and Samantha had look alike relatives who often wreaked havoc on their lives. Let’s take a closer look at these mischievous women.

On Bewitched, Samantha Stevens was portrayed by Elizabeth Montgomery who also had the dual role of her identical cousin. Serena was the niece of Sam’s father Maurice and she was mod, hip, and groovy and also loved to party. Montgomery donned a black wig, dangling earrings, thick lashes, mini skirts, and extra makeup when portraying her lookalike relative. The two women had distinctively different voices, their own mannerisms, and were noticeably far apart in the way they thought about life.

Serena first showed up in the eighteenth episode of the second season in 1965. This was actually the 53rd episode of the series. It was titled, And Then There Were Three which was the day Samantha gave birth to Tabitha. When Serena appeared Darin thought his mother in law Endora had put an aging spell on his baby daughter but it was all cleared up by the end of the episode. Serena was a prankster who was always trying to trick her cousin’s spouse. On a few occasions, she pretended to be Sam. There were also episodes where she and Endora were working together against the Stevens.

As the series progressed it became easier for Darrin to tell when Serena was impersonating his wife. Serena had a more progressive attitude towards mixed marriages between mortals and witches than Endora. When she, along with Uncle Author (Paul Lind), showed their support for Darrin and Samantha’s union they each had their powers revoked (temporarily) by the witches council. Serena was fun and lovable and viewers enjoined her antics whenever she appeared.

Serena was never truly mean-spirited on Bewitched, but over on I Dream of Jeannie, it was a different story with Genie number 2. The twin sister of Elizabeth Montgomery's character was often malicious. The original Jeannie had been found in her bottle by astronaut Tony Nelson (Larry Hagman) who became her master. Like Serena, Jeannie II was a look alike with darker hair and more makeup who was portrayed by the series star Barbara Eden. Genie number 2, like Serena loved to have a good time and often fooled Tony into believing she was his Jeannie. The difference is that Jeannie II was not a cousin but an identical twin.

She was envious of her sister who had a young, handsome master all to herself. Genie 2 was part of a harem and despised her own master who was older. Her mission was always desiring for and plotting to have her twin’s master for her own. While Samantha was a sensible mild-mannered housewife, Jeannie was written as a dumb blonde type who was fooled by many others besides her sibling, She was naive about the ways of the world and her evil twin was always getting the better of her because she was gullible. Jeannie II appeared in seasons 3 thru 5 of the series.