Mission: Impossible is an American television series that was created and initially produced by Bruce Geller. It chronicles the missions of a team of secret government agents known as the Impossible Missions Force. In the first season, the team is led by Dan Briggs, played by Steven Hill; Jim Phelps, played by Peter Graves, takes charge for the remaining seasons. A hallmark of the series shows Briggs or Phelps receiving his instructions on a recording that then self-destructs, followed by the theme music composed by Lalo Schifrin. The series aired on the CBS network from September 1966 to March 1973, then returned to television for two seasons on ABC, from 1988 to 1990, retaining only Graves in the cast. It later inspired a popular series of theatrical motion pictures starring Tom Cruise, beginning in 1996.
Syndicate man Dutch Krebbs controls a large gambling operation and an undercover IMF agent with a camera-watch disappeared, presumably with recorded evidence against Krebbs. The IMF must find the agent's body and the watch. Jim poses as a pool player (being helped by Barney) to attract Krebbs' attention - Krebbs plans to use Jim to rip off a rival racketeer's best shooter, but Jim's girlfriend Mimi (formerly Press' girlfriend, now working with the IMF for revenge) reveals he's cheating to Krebbs, who believes Jim can't lose. Meanwhile the IMF rob Press, Krebbs' lieutenant, twice and Press has to make up the loss - Barney promises he can get the money by betting against Jim but Jim wins - Krebbs is accused of cheating and believes Press sold him out and orders a hit. Willy, working in the mob, tells Press about the watch and Press goes after it to get the evidence to bring down Krebbs and the team recovers the watch and takes them into custody, and Mimi signs on with the IMF.
Joseph Collins, a nuclear physicist, steals plutonium and is going to sell it to a unidentified foreign interest through a man named Haig. The IMF must identify Haig and locate the plutonium, so they feed Collins fake news story about military action in the Middle East, then arrest him for murder and show him film of Los Angeles under attack before knocking him out. When he wakes up, for Collins its the year 2000, he's been unconscious for 28 years, and the state exterminates anyone at the age of 65...which Collins will be in two days. Desperate, he escapes from his cell and finds a secret meeting of military heads who are ready to surrender beacuse of their lack of nuclear material - Collins obligingly gives them the location of his cache.
The Syndicate plans to finance the head of the army's takeover of his country in return for the right to operate the country's vices. The IMF team must intercept the safe deposit key before it reaches the general. Willy replaces a crewman aboard the yacht, but can't find the key and is discovered. He is forced overboard, almost drowns, but escapes and helps warn the team. Jim, Barney and Mimi craft an elaborate plot to convince the bad guys' courier to reveal the location of the key.
Syndicate boss Mike Apollo was being infiltrator by a Federal agent, Parnell, who disappeared - the IMF assumes Apollo is torturing him for information. The IMF must learn where Parnell is. Since fellow Syndicate boss Joe Epic's wife Leona died under mysterious circumstances while Apollo was elsewhere with Parnell, Jim as an insurance investigator reopens the case and hints to Epic his wife was involved with an affair. The IMF plants evidence the affair was with a fellow Syndicate boss, Apollo himself. Jim leaks a fake story to Epic's secretary that Epic is planning to kill Apollo. When Epic accuses Apollo of killing his wife at a Syndicate meeting Jim tells a different story, that it could have been Leona's husband or lover. To clear himself Apollo produces the imprisoned Parnell, at which point the police move in and arrest everyone.
A government scientist, Paul Morse, plans to sell a biological weapon, TOD-5, to terrorist Alpha Group led by Dr. Flory. The IMF must get to Morse's , Gordon Holt, and get him to take them to Alpha HQ. When Holt gets to the small town where he is to get the weapon from Morse, he finds the town under quarantine and people dying - then he starts showing (IMF-faked) symptoms of the disease. He grabs Mimi, who is supposedly immune, and takes her with him to Alpha HQ and infects them to force them to come up with an antidote - the IMF trail him and arrest the whole operation.
Carl Reid, a Syndicate cocaine distributor, has as his chief supplier Fernando Laroca, and the two of them have created an undetectable series of pickup and payoff locations. They're planning a huge shipment in 72 hours and the IMF must stop them. The IMF set up Reid's lieutenant Conrad to take them to the cocaine, although even he doesn't know where it is. The IMF set up a fake new cocaine organization with Willy as a chemist with a machine that can manufacture cocaine. Conrad makes a deal with them to undercut his boss and sell the cocaine to three big buyers - the IMF steal the money and leave him with fake cocaine, so Conrad kills one of Reid's man to find the real shipment of cocaine - when he finds it the IMF move in and the police arrest everyone.
Gunther Schell, the brains behind many Syndicate operations, escaped with the aid of a gang specializing in smuggling criminals out of the country - the IMF must locate Schell and the millions in Syndicate money he hid. The gang apparently brainwashes their ""clients"" and steals their money. Jim goes in as a doctor wanted for murder with his cash hidden after Barney hypnotically programs him only to divulge the information they want. Jim is ed by the gang, led by Clavering, but the IMF loses with him when he's moved in a lead-lined casket to the gang's location, where Schell (who hasn't broke yet) is also at. Jim manages to knock Schell into a coma by triggering his diabetes and claims only he can save him. Jim calls in Willy as an anesthelogist and then the two of them knock out the gang and get Schell out. Barney sell's Schell's location to his superior, Lutz, and they all go to the hidden cash, where the police take them into custody.
Norman Shields is a Syndicate man controlling the entertainment industry with money supplied by Theodore Dane, and is sending his brother Benjamin with the money to finance a takeover - the IMF must get the records and bring Shields down. Jim takes Theo's place (he and Shields have never met) and backs a production of a movie based on a murder which Shields committed years ago. Willy replaces Shields' gun with blanks and during a late night confrontation he ""shoots"" Jim - the IMF get the whole thing on tape and redub it with Theo's voice. Benjamin insists on seeing the money-making film that Shields is so worried about - instead, Shields ends up showing him the IMF film where brother Theo is ""killed."" Dane takes the syndicate records from Shields, who in turns has them taken by Willy and Jim.
The IMF needs to get proof that Syndicate chief Sam Dexter murdered his girlfriend Vicki - Dexter is currently in prison on tax evasion and his unknown partner, The General, continues to extort millions. Jim the prosecutor produces Mimi the eyewitness who can place Dexter at the crime scene - when Dexter sends his hood Murdock, the IMF replace him by guest-agent Jack and after a faked accident implicates The General. Dexter's paid-off D.A., Reynolds, incriminates himself and ends up arrested but Dexter still refuses to cooperate. In the prison Dexter forces fellow con Barney to help him escape so he can confront the General and then return. When Dexter plans to kill Barney and the General, the IMF step in just in time.
The IMF has 16 hours to find a nuclear bomb placed by an extortionist, Dr. Cooper, in one of seven Pacific Coast cities and find Cooper's associates in charge of disarming the bomb. The IMF track Cooper to a cafe and fake a radio broadcast announcing his demands will be met - then Jim and Mimi break in as convicts and take Cooper and the others hostage. The IMF eventually ""let"" Cooper call his associate Rogers to disarm the bomb but Cooper's wife Adele kills Rogers when she fears the plan has gone awry. When Rogers' death is announced on the radio, a frustrated Cooper convinces Jim and Mimi to take him to the bomb (beneath City Hall) which he shuts off with seconds to spare - the IMF take him into custody.
Crime boss Metzger determines that the IMF was responsible for the heist at the Aquarius Casino (from last season's episode ""Casino"") and kidnaps Jim when he and Barney are on vacation, forcing the IMF to work for him to recover evidence against him from a safe deposit box. The evidence, a letter, is being used as a bargaining chip by Metzger's former crony, Connally, to get Federal immunity for his testimony. Casey and Willy manage to steal both keys to the box and get the letter, except Metzger's subordinate Hawks steals the letter to blackmail his boss. Barney comes up with a fake letter and use it to get to Jim where the IMF takes everyone into custody.
Peter Cordel, a hitman and grandmaster chess player, has evaded capture - the IMF must bring him to justice and determine who in the Syndicate he works for. Using a hypnotic drug given by guest-agent Sandy, the IMF condition Cordel to blackout every time he is told ""When in doubt, take a pawn."" Then they set it up so it looks like he kills several people during his blackouts and have him awaken in a mental hospital where an IMF orderly stages an assault to make it look like Cordel's boss wants him dead, so Cordel tells Sandy to warn his boss to call off his hit men, and the IMF capture the man.
Paul Ostro is the head of the Ostro family and a Syndicate member - after a hunting accident leaving him heavily bandaged he announces a new $100 million Syndicate plan and the IMF must find out what it is. It turns out brother Leo had Paul killed and has a substitute placed which he uses to convince four mobsters to contribute a million each into ""Paul's"" mystery scheme. Jim and Casey get Leo involved in an oil deal with a corrupt minister (IMF guest agent Khalid) while Barney as a cook gives ""Paul"" a fake heart attack - Leo has to play along and Willy gets the fake Paul out and they replace him with their own IMF agent Hank and steal the $4 million from the other gangsters. Leo's rival Gault finds the money and a ticket, and when Leo tries to get ""Paul"" to clear him, the IMF agent tells a different story. Leo has to reveal his plan to use the $4 million as the basis for a massive counterfeiting operation and take Gault and the others to his printing presses - the IMF move in and capt
Hannah O'Connel rules over a Syndicate family, including her two sons who act as her lieutenants. Hannah masterminded the theft of a million dollars in gold bullion, and escaped to the Caribbean with her surviving son Thomas - Robert turned government witness but Hannah shot and killed him. The IMF must get her to return to the U.S. and recover the gold. The O'Connel's are set up in a house run by Casey and led to believe it's haunted by Robert - their gunsels turn up ""dead"" and Hannah s shopkeeper Barney to arrange a voodoo exorcism. Hannah blacks out thanks to the IMF and they send her son Thomas running after faking him killing Willy over Casey. When Hannah wakes up Barney tells her that Robert is alive and got her to tell him the location of the gold while she was unconscious. Hannah hires Jim as a pilot to take her to the gold and the IMF move in for the arrest.
Syndicater John Vayle, a member of the Luchek Family, dies in a plane explosion - the IMF believes Vayle's wife Eve set him up to get hold of records, which would be invaluable as evidence against Luchek. Eve has the records and plans to blackmail Luchek - Jim pretends to be a killer sent after her who Eve plays to find out who wanted her dead. The IMF set it up to look like her husband John is still alive and using truth serum on her in her sleep to provide the location of the records. Barney, a crooked cop, claims that he was working with Johnny and killed him afterward, and Eve has to check the records to make sure they still exist - the IMF follow her and Luchek to them and arrest everyone.
Nicholas Varsi, an enemy assassin, has been captured but claims to be a defector who will reveal his mission to a government agency, the FIS...when he is guaranteed safe asylum. But the FIS may have been infiltrated by a deep-cover operative and Varsi may be selling fake information, so the IMF must if he really wants to defector. Jim and Willy break Varsi out and Jim claims to be an agent for Varsi's former government and demands to know why he is defecting. Varsi says nothing and shoots FIS agent Andrea (actually a guest IMF agent) with an empty gun. They let him and Andrea go - he'll turn Andrea back to the FIS if he's a true defector, but instead Varsi goes to a hotel to meet with his former superior, Colonel Kremmer, and the IMF must figure things out before Varsi and Andrea are both killed.
Syndicate exec Tom Bachman has stolen the computerized records from his rival Matthew Drake in a power struggle. Bachman is hiding in a village in Mexico from the crippled Drake, waiting for a hired pilot to take him to safety. Barney takes the pilot's place and then fakes a crash where he and Bachman stumble across the ""Fellowship of the Golden Circle."" Bachman discovers they have a fountain of youth - when Drake's men catch up to him, he takes Casey along as proof of his claim and offers to return the records if Drake backs him in distributing the water. Casey ages and dies before their eyes, and Drake agrees so he can get a shot at the water's healing properties. Bachman leads Drake (and the IMF) to the hidden tapes and the crooks gets arrested.
Syndicate man Jay Braddock has corrupted promoter Paul Mitchell into working with him - they had middleweighter Loomis killed when he refused to throw a fight and the IMF must bring both men to justice. They do so by convincing Mitchell that his partner plans to kill him. Barney and Jim steal $37,800 from Braddock and then as a rival mob offer the partners the same amount to buy out their fighter Novick. Braddock decides to have Novick killed but the IMF intercept the call and send in Jim as the hit man. He ""kills"" Novick with a firebomb along with Susan Mitchell (actually Casey in disugise), the promoter's daughter. Mitchell tries to back out as the IMF pressure him, but Braddock messes things up by offering to kill Jim to reassure Mitchell. He manages to escape and they arrest both men.
Sam Hibbing, a major Syndicate drug dealer, stole three tons of amphetamines from a chemical plant and hit the stash in a secret location - the IMF must get it before he sells it. The IMF replaces Hibbert's drug-addicted daughter Margaret with Casey and her new friend Jim, who turns out to own a charter plane and served time for murder. Meanwhile Barney teams up with Hibbing's buyer Dayton to purchase the drugs but they must have them the next day - Jim sets it up so Hibbing's regular courier gave drugs to Margaret/Casey, leaving Hibbing with no other choice then to use Jim as the delivery man. Hibbing sees through Casey's disguise and she escapes, but Hibbing tries to stop Jim - Barney and Willy stop him and Margaret goes into rehab.
Gunnar Malstrom leads the Pendulum, a secret terrorist group that is planning Operation Nightfall, targeted at the U.S. government - the IMF must stop it and bring Malstrom to justice. Casey dates Malstrom and brings him to World Resources Ltd., an IMF front company and supposed rival organization to Pendulum, and offer him a job if he leaves Pendulum. The IMF use a hidden polygraph to determine that Pendulum plans the assassination of a general - they fail to learn that the assassination has already taken place and Pendulum plans to have their general blow up the Chiefs of Staff in an explosion. Jim tries to warn the fake general, who asks him to sit in on the meeting. Thanks to a planted transmitter, the IMF discover Pendulum's true plan and Jim gets rid of the bomb just in time.
Van Cleve and his partner, Royce, robbed a museum of pre-Colombian artifacts - Cleve apparently killed his partner and has the artwork hidden somewhere in the U.S. and the IMF must find it and bring him to justice. The IMF convince Cleve that he has the ability to see the future with some rigged incidents. Then they convince him that he'll die in an earthquake that will cause a dam nearby to burst - Cleve flees to the desert where he has the art hidden. The IMF follow him and manage to grab him and Royce, who faked his death and planned to kill Cleve and grab the artifacts.
The Marnsburg Crown Jewels were brought to the U.S. and stolen from the UN Building - Jena Cole, a thief, is believed responsible but have no leads on the location of the jewels. The IMF must recover the jewels before the hostile Marnsburg government makes a case out of it. Jena is to turn the jewels over to the Syndicate, which financed the theft. Barney manage to get close to Jena and she finds he has plans to the Marnsburg Consulate. Meanwhile, the IMF return the ""real"" jewels, claiming the first ones were fake and confirming it throuigh her diamond fence (a IMF replacement). Jena and Barney team up to get into the consulate and steal the ""real"" jewels and turns them over to Jim the creditor, so Jena tries to fake him out for substituting her supposedly fake gems for the ""real"" ones, then sneak out. The Syndicate shows up and figures out which gems are which, and the police take everyone, including Jena, into custody.
Mission: Impossible is an American television series that was created and initially produced by Bruce Geller. It chronicles the missions of a team of secret government agents known as the Impossible Missions Force. In the first season, the team is led by Dan Briggs, played by Steven Hill; Jim Phelps, played by Peter Graves, takes charge for the remaining seasons. A hallmark of the series shows Briggs or Phelps receiving his instructions on a recording that then self-destructs, followed by the theme music composed by Lalo Schifrin. The series aired on the CBS network from September 1966 to March 1973, then returned to television for two seasons on ABC, from 1988 to 1990, retaining only Graves in the cast. It later inspired a popular series of theatrical motion pictures starring Tom Cruise, beginning in 1996.
Mission: Impossible (1966) is currently not available on any services.
as Jim Phelps
as Barney Collier
as Willy Armitage
as Dana Lambert
as Man on Tape (voice)
Executive Producer
Producer
Producer
Producer
Producer
Main Title Theme Composer
