Of course this belongs to an era when producers took the silliest of ideas and treated them like the lost works of Shakespeare (a premise that could arguably be made for today's shows as well). But in fact this entry is not "typical" for the era, to the contrary, it set the bar and defined how this formula could be done (then) and would be done (now). First, if you want to have some fun, follow the IMDb link for Sidney Sheldon, the creator. His body of work is so prolific and contains so many well-know names, you will for a moment think you are in someone's Playlist of classic hits. This was a man who knew how to work a concept. Next, the casting. Larry Hagman became known as one of the most bankable TV stars of all time and -- get this -- here he was playing straight man to the real star, Barbara Eden. TV historians will tell you that Eden was considered too "old" for the part (indeed, too old to play a sexy temptress) and keep in mind that this was an era in Hollywood when, generally, actresses were considered over the hill at 35 (Look how old Anne Bancroft was in the Graduate -- not old at all, yet cast as the "mother" role). Eden got the part anyway and the rest is history. The chemistry between Hagman and Eden was so strong (not to mention the subliminal pitch to millions of male viewers that it was possible to control the fairer sex by, er, rubbing a lamp) that the series was not only a hit, but Eden (like Elizabeth Montgomery) became a TV icon, and would continue doing popular "movies of the week" for decades to come.
Review of I Dream of Jeannie
