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- Why 'I Dream of Jeannie' Replaced Larry Hagman</p>
<p>Erin CrabtreeOctober 21, 2025 at 2:02 AM</p>
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<p>To I Dream of Jeannie fans, Larry Hagman will always be Tony Nelson, but the role was actually played by another actor at one point.</p>
<p>When the I Dream of Jeannie … Fifteen Years Later movie aired on NBC on Oct. 20, 1985, Wayne Rogers — who was best known for his role as Trapper John on MAS*H from 1972 to 1975 — portrayed Tony alongside the sitcom's returning stars Barbara Eden as Jeannie, Bill Daily as Roger Healy and Hayden Rorke as Dr. Alfred Bellows.</p>
<p>In a resurfaced interview with the Television Academy Foundation, Eden, now 94, explained why Hagman opted not to reprise his role as Tony in the reunion film.</p>
<p>"Unfortunately, we couldn't get Larry because by then he was doing Dallas, and he was working very hard and didn't want to do a movie plus his Dallas schedule," the actress said.</p>
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<p>Despite Hagman's absence, Eden praised Rogers for stepping in as Tony, even if the recast led to some noticeable changes.</p>
<p>"We were lucky to have Wayne Rogers as the master," she continued. "The film was very good but not the same because he's different. I mean, we're all so unique and individual, so it was different. And Wayne brought a different texture and had a little more of an edge than Larry. For me, it was intimidating because it had been so long and I was older. But overall it was well received."</p>
<p>Gary Null/NBCU Photo Bank/NBCUniversal via Getty Images</p>
<p>Eden returned once again without Hagman — who was on hiatus after wrapping up his run on Dallas — for a second film, 1991's I Still Dream of Jeannie. Instead of recasting Tony, the movie mentioned his character, but he never appeared onscreen.</p>
<p>Eden and Hagman starred as love interests Jeannie and her astronaut master, Tony, on the NBC sitcom I Dream of Jeannie for five seasons from September 1965 to May 1970. Hagman later enjoyed a TV resurgence in his iconic role as J. R. Ewing on the CBS primetime soap opera Dallas, which aired for 14 seasons from April 1978 to May 1991.</p>
<p>Hagman died in November 2012 after complications from acute myeloid leukemia. He was 81.</p>
<p>Meanwhile, Eden celebrated her 94th birthday in August.</p>
<p>The following month, Eden reflected on her instant chemistry with Hagman.</p>
<p>"It was immediate, and I have no idea why, but it was," she told People in September. "We just were on that same carpet, if you will. I believed him and he believed me when we were working."</p>
<p>Eden also expressed her disappointment that she and Hagman were not able to share the screen in the I Dream of Jeannie reunion films.</p>
<p>"I think they stand on their own," she said of the follow-up movies. "I'm really sorry Larry couldn't do them, but he was very busy with Dallas."</p>
<p>Despite the scheduling conflict, Eden and Hagman reunited during the final season of Dallas when she guest-starred as Lee Ann De La Vega — a wealthy woman seeking revenge against J. R. — in five episodes that aired in 1990 and 1991.</p>
<p>"It was wonderful," she recalled. "We can be different people, and we were in that. It wasn't Jeannie and Master at all, and I enjoyed it, and I think Larry did too."</p>
<p>This story was originally reported by Parade on Oct 21, 2025, where it first appeared in the News section. Add Parade as a Preferred Source by clicking here.</p>
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