Get updates delivered to you daily. Free and customizable.
Woman's World
Fantasy Sitcoms of the 1960s: Your Guide to ‘Bewitched,’ ‘The Munsters,’ ‘Jeannie’ and More Classic Sitcoms
By Ed Gross,
4 days ago
While the 1950s gave us family sitcoms like Father Knows Best and Leave It to Beaver, one of the major trends that followed was fantasy TV sitcoms of the 1960s, which would stretch a bit into the 1970s with a total of 11 comedies making up this mini-genre. It started with Mister Ed in 1961 and concluded with The Girl with Something Extra in 1974, and would encompass everything from Bewitched to The Munsters and I Dream of Jeannie in between.
What are the best fantasy sitcoms of the 1960s? Read on for a complete guide to them all.
Mister Ed (1961 to 1966): Fantasy TV Shows
CAST: Alan Young (Wilbur Post), Connie Hines (Carol Post), Allan Lane (voice of Mister Ed)
PREMISE: Married architect Wilbur Post discover that his horse, a palomino named Mr. Ed, can actually talk — but will only do so to him, which makes for complicated situations.
From 'Mister Ed' to Scrooge McDuck on 'Duck Tales,' Alan Young entertained generations of viewers. Learn more about his life and career.
My Favorite Martian (1963 to 1966)
CAST: Ray Walston (Uncle Martin), Bill Bixby (Tim O'Hara)
PREMISE: A martian, who has crash-landed on Earth, is taken in by reporter Tim O'Hara and must pretend to be human while he attempts to fix his spacecraft.
Bill Bixby TV shows span a 20 year period between 1963's 'My Favorite Martian' and 1983's 'Goodnight, Beantown' with the 'Hulk' and more in between.
Bewitched (1964 to 1972): Fantasy TV Shows
CAST: Elizabeth Montgomery (Samantha Stephens), Dick York (Darrin Stephens, from 1964 to 1969), Dick Sargent (Darrin Stephens, 1969 to 1972), Agnes Moorehead (End0ra), David White (Larry Tate)
PREMISE: Mortal advertising executive Darrin Stephens marries Samantha, who turns out to be a witch. He is nonetheless determined to live a normal life with her, a notion challenged by her magical relatives — especially his mother-in-law Endora — who insist on literally popping in at the most inopportune times.
In dozens of photos, you can check out Agnes Moorehead (Endora) and Dick Sargent (Darrin #2) as well
My Living Doll (1964 to 1965)
CAST: Bob Cummings (Dr. Bob McDonald), Julie Newmar (Rhoda)
PREMISE: Psychiatrist Dr. Bob McDonald is entrusted with a lifelike android named Rhoda, whose secret he has to keep, challenged by the fact that she is constantly exploring what it means to be human and is determined to evolve.
The Addams Family (1964 to 1966): Fantasy TV Shows
CAST: John Astin (Gomez Addams), Carolyn Jones (Morticia Addams), Jackie Coogan (Uncle Fester), Ted Cassidy (Lurch), Blossom Rock (Grandmama), Lisa Loring (Wednesday), Ken Weatherwax (Pugsley), Thing
PREMISE: Based on The New Yorker single panel comic strips from Charles Addams, it's all about a macabre but loving family, known as the Addams, who just seem out of step with the rest of the world. While they're not supernatural in nature, there are those elements, largely in the form of butler Lurch, who appears to be a zombie of sorts; while Thing is a very mobile hand without a body.
CAST: Fred Gwynne (Herman Munster), Yvonne De Carlo (Lily Munster), Al Lewis (Grandpa), Butch Patrick (Eddie Munster), Beverly Owen (Marilyn Munster, episodes 1 to 13), Pat Priest (Marilyn Munster, episodes 14 to 70).
PREMISE: The flipside of The Addams Family in the sense that the Munster family is made up of supernatural beings, ranging from Frankenstein's Monster to Dracula and a little wolfboy. Marilyn, the human-looking niece, is pitied by them for her appearance, but nonetheless loved. Designed as comical cross between the old Universal Monster movies and The Donna Reed Show .
Discover so much about Fred Gwynne, best known for 'The Munsters' and 'My Cousin Vinny,' that you never knew before.
I Dream of Jeannie (1965 to 1970): Fantasy TV Shows
CAST: Barbara Eden (Jeannie), Larry Hagman (Captain/Major Anthony "Tony" Nelson), Bill Daily (Captain/Major Roger Healey), Hayden Rorke (Colonel Alfred Bellows, MD)
PREMISE: Astronaut Tony Nelson, who finds himself stranded on a desert island, finds freedom when he springs a genie — named Jeannie — from her bottle, and now she'll do anything for him — including magically making a helicopter appear to rescue him. Hiding herself within her bottle in his survival gear, she comes home with him and what ensues is magical mayhem that gradually turns to romance.
From lion taming to belly-button baring to putting on the iconic ponytail, we can't get enough of 'Jeannie' trivia!
My Mother the Car (1965 to 1966)
CAST: Jerry Van Dyke (Dave Crabtree), Maggie Pierce (Barbara Crabtree), Ann Sothern (voice of Mother), Avery Scrieber (Captain Bernard Manzini).
PREMISE: In a nutshell, Dave Crabtree's mother passes away and is reincarnated within a 1928 Porter touring car, speaking to her son — and only him (sounds like Mister Ed with tires) — through the car radio.
Some shows are so bad that they're good, but this definitely isn't one of them. Find out what went wrong!
The Ghost and Mrs. Muir (1968 to 1970): Fantasy TV Shows
CAST: Hope Lange (Carolyn Muir), Edward Mulhare (Captain Daniel Gregg), Charles Nelson Reilly (Claymore Gregg), Reta Shaw (Martha Grant), Kellie Flanagan (Candace Muir), Harlen Carraher (Jonathan Muir)
PREMISE: Based on the 1947 film of the same name, it focuses on widow, mother of two and writer Carolyn Muir, who rents Gull Cottage in a fishing village, only to discover that the cottage is already occupied — by the ghost of former owner, sea captain Daniel Gregg, who died a century earlier.
Remembering Edward Mulhare, who delighted viewers with '60s sitcom 'The Ghost and Mrs. Muir' and '80s action show 'Knight Rider.'
Bonus: Fantasy Sitcoms from the 1970s!
Nanny and the Professor (1970 to 1971)
CAST: Juliet Mills ("Nanny" Phoebe Figalilly), Richard Long (Professor Harold Everett), David Doremus (Harold "Hal" Everett Jr.), Trent Lehman (Bentley "Butch" Everett), Kim Richards (Prudence Everett)
PREMISE: The Everett family, led by widower and father of three Harold, can sure use some help and guidance, which arrives in the form of Phoebe Figalilly, better known as Nanny. There's plenty of suggestion that Nanny is magical like Mary Poppins, though it's never quite spelled out. Either way, she does work her magic on the Everett family.
The Girl with Something Extra (1973 to 1974): Fantasy TV Shows
CAST: Sally Field (Sally Burton), John Davidson (John Burton)
PREMISE: After John and Sally Burton are married, he learns that his wife can read people's minds via ESP, though that element of the show lessened as time went on.
Get updates delivered to you daily. Free and customizable.
It’s essential to note our commitment to transparency:
Our Terms of Use acknowledge that our services may not always be error-free, and our Community Standards emphasize our discretion in enforcing policies. As a platform hosting over 100,000 pieces of content published daily, we cannot pre-vet content, but we strive to foster a dynamic environment for free expression and robust discourse through safety guardrails of human and AI moderation.
Most Popular
Comments / 0