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.
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The peak run. Top 40% of seasons by average rating — consecutive, with an average of 7.65.
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Peter Graves
Jim Phelps
Greg Morris
Barney Collier
Peter Lupus
Willy Armitage
Lynda Day George
Lisa Casey
Bob Johnson
Man on Tape (voice)
All 171 episodes plotted by IMDb rating
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28 episodes • 1966Avg: 7.4
| # | Episode | Air Date | Rating |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Pilot | Sep 17, 1966 | 7.7 |
| 2 | Memory | Sep 24, 1966 | 7.3 |
| 3 | Operation Rogosh | Oct 1, 1966 | 8.2 |
| 4 | Old Man Out (1) | Oct 8, 1966 | 7.3 |
| 5 | Old Man Out (2) | Oct 15, 1966 | 7.3 |
| 6 | Odds on Evil | Oct 22, 1966 | 7.7 |
| 7 | Wheels | Oct 29, 1966 | 6.8 |
| 8 | The Ransom | Nov 5, 1966 | 7.6 |
| 9 | A Spool There Was | Nov 12, 1966 | 7.2 |
| 10 | The Carriers | Nov 19, 1966 | 8.0 |
| 11 | Zubrovnik's Ghost | Nov 26, 1966 | 6.1 |
| 12 | Fakeout | Dec 3, 1966 | 7.0 |
| 13 | Elena | Dec 10, 1966 | 6.4 |
| 14 | The Short Tail Spy | Dec 17, 1966 | 7.2 |
| 15 | The Legacy | Jan 7, 1967 | 7.9 |
| 16 | The Reluctant Dragon | Jan 14, 1967 | 7.2 |
| 17 | The Frame | Jan 21, 1967 | 7.7 |
| 18 | The Trial | Jan 28, 1967 | 7.5 |
| 19 | The Diamond | Feb 4, 1967 | 7.4 |
| 20 | The Legend | Feb 11, 1967 | 7.4 |
| 21 | Snowball in Hell | Feb 18, 1967 | 7.5 |
| 22 | The Confession | Feb 25, 1967 | 7.4 |
| 23 | Action! | Mar 4, 1967 | 7.3 |
| 24 | The Train | Mar 18, 1967 | 8.1 |
| 25 | Shock | Mar 25, 1967 | 7.6 |
| 26 | A Cube of Sugar | Apr 1, 1967 | 7.4 |
| 27 | The Traitor | Apr 15, 1967 | 7.8 |
| 28 | The Psychic | Apr 22, 1967 | 7.5 |
25 episodes • 1967Avg: 7.7Golden Era
| # | Episode | Air Date | Rating |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | The Widow | Sep 10, 1967 | 7.6 |
| 2 | Trek | Sep 17, 1967 | 7.2 |
| 3 | The Survivors | Sep 24, 1967 | 7.9 |
| 4 | The Bank | Oct 1, 1967 | 8.1 |
| 5 | The Slave (1) | Oct 8, 1967 | 7.6 |
| 6 | The Slave (2) | Oct 15, 1967 | 7.6 |
| 7 | Operation Heart | Oct 22, 1967 | 7.3 |
| 8 | The Money Machine | Oct 29, 1967 | 7.7 |
| 9 | The Seal | Nov 5, 1967 | 8.1 |
| 10 | Sweet Charity | Nov 12, 1967 | 7.5 |
| 11 | The Council (1) | Nov 19, 1967 | 7.9 |
| 12 | The Council (2) | Nov 26, 1967 | 8.0 |
| 13 | The Astrologer | Dec 3, 1967 | 7.6 |
| 14 | Echo of Yesterday | Dec 10, 1967 | 7.3 |
| 15 | The Photographer | Dec 17, 1967 | 8.3 |
| 16 | The Spy | Jan 7, 1968 | 7.3 |
| 17 | A Game of Chess | Jan 14, 1968 | 7.6 |
| 18 | The Emerald | Jan 21, 1968 | 7.9 |
| 19 | The Condemned | Jan 28, 1968 | 7.8 |
| 20 | The Counterfeiter | Feb 4, 1968 | 7.6 |
| 21 | The Town | Feb 18, 1968 | 8.6 |
| 22 | The Killing | Feb 28, 1968 | 7.1 |
| 23 | The Phoenix | Mar 3, 1968 | 7.4 |
| 24 | Trial by Fury | Mar 10, 1968 | 7.3 |
| 25 | Recovery | Mar 17, 1968 | 8.0 |
25 episodes • 1968Avg: 7.8Golden Era
| # | Episode | Air Date | Rating |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | The Heir Apparent | Sep 29, 1968 | 7.7 |
| 2 | The Contender (1) | Oct 6, 1968 | 7.5 |
| 3 | The Contender (2) | Oct 13, 1968 | 7.5 |
| 4 | The Mercenaries | Oct 27, 1968 | 8.0 |
| 5 | The Execution | Nov 10, 1968 | 8.1 |
| 6 | The Cardinal | Nov 17, 1968 | 8.2 |
| 7 | The Elixir | Nov 24, 1968 | 7.8 |
| 8 | The Diplomat | Dec 1, 1968 | 7.6 |
| 9 | The Play | Dec 8, 1968 | 7.2 |
| 10 | The Bargain | Dec 15, 1968 | 7.6 |
| 11 | The Freeze | Dec 23, 1968 | 7.8 |
| 12 | The Exchange | Jan 4, 1969 | 8.5 |
| 13 | The Mind of Stefan Miklos | Jan 12, 1969 | 8.5 |
| 14 | The Test Case | Jan 19, 1969 | 7.6 |
| 15 | The System | Jan 26, 1969 | 8.1 |
| 16 | The Glass Cage | Feb 2, 1969 | 8.2 |
| 17 | Doomsday | Feb 16, 1969 | 7.9 |
| 18 | Live Bait | Feb 23, 1969 | 7.7 |
| 19 | The Bunker (1) | Mar 2, 1969 | 8.1 |
| 20 | The Bunker (2) | Mar 9, 1969 | 8.3 |
| 21 | Nitro | Mar 23, 1969 | 7.2 |
| 22 | Nicole | Mar 30, 1969 | 7.0 |
| 23 | The Vault | Apr 6, 1969 | 7.4 |
| 24 | Illusion | Apr 13, 1969 | 7.4 |
| 25 | The Interrogator | Apr 20, 1969 | 7.7 |
26 episodes • 1969Avg: 7.5Golden Era
| # | Episode | Air Date | Rating |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | The Code | Sep 28, 1969 | 7.2 |
| 2 | The Numbers Game (aka: The Key) | Oct 5, 1969 | 7.4 |
| 3 | The Controllers (1) | Oct 12, 1969 | 7.5 |
| 4 | The Controllers (2) | Oct 19, 1969 | 7.5 |
| 5 | Fool's Gold | Oct 26, 1969 | 7.6 |
| 6 | Commandante | Nov 2, 1969 | 7.4 |
| 7 | Submarine | Nov 16, 1969 | 8.2 |
| 8 | Mastermind | Nov 23, 1969 | 7.2 |
| 9 | Robot | Nov 30, 1969 | 7.8 |
| 10 | The Double Circle | Dec 7, 1969 | 7.9 |
| 11 | The Brothers | Dec 14, 1969 | 7.8 |
| 12 | Time Bomb | Dec 21, 1969 | 7.4 |
| 13 | The Amnesiac | Dec 28, 1969 | 7.2 |
| 14 | The Falcon (1) | Jan 4, 1970 | 7.7 |
| 15 | The Falcon (2) | Jan 11, 1970 | 7.9 |
| 16 | The Falcon (3) | Jan 18, 1970 | 8.1 |
| 17 | Chico | Jan 25, 1970 | 7.6 |
| 18 | Gitano (aka Toys) | Feb 1, 1970 | 6.9 |
| 19 | Phantoms | Feb 8, 1970 | 7.4 |
| 20 | Terror | Feb 15, 1970 | 7.2 |
| 21 | Lover's Knot | Feb 22, 1970 | 7.2 |
| 22 | Orpheus | Mar 1, 1970 | 7.6 |
| 23 | The Crane | Mar 8, 1970 | 7.2 |
| 24 | Death Squad | Mar 15, 1970 | 7.8 |
| 25 | The Choice | Mar 22, 1970 | 7.1 |
| 26 | The Martyr | Mar 29, 1970 | 6.5 |
23 episodes • 1970Avg: 7.3
| # | Episode | Air Date | Rating |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | The Killer | Sep 19, 1970 | 8.3 |
| 2 | Flip Side | Sep 26, 1970 | 7.0 |
| 3 | The Innocent | Oct 3, 1970 | 7.7 |
| 4 | Homecoming | Oct 10, 1970 | 7.2 |
| 5 | Flight | Oct 17, 1970 | 7.4 |
| 6 | My Friend, My Enemy | Oct 25, 1970 | 7.1 |
| 7 | Butterfly (aka Poor Butterfly) | Oct 31, 1970 | 7.1 |
| 8 | Decoy | Nov 7, 1970 | 7.1 |
| 9 | The Amateur | Nov 14, 1970 | 7.7 |
| 10 | Hunted | Nov 21, 1970 | 7.7 |
| 11 | The Rebel | Nov 28, 1970 | 7.1 |
| 12 | Squeeze Play (aka Sicily) | Dec 12, 1970 | 7.4 |
| 13 | The Hostage | Dec 19, 1970 | 7.3 |
| 14 | Takeover | Jan 2, 1971 | 6.6 |
| 15 | Cat's Paw | Jan 9, 1971 | 6.9 |
| 16 | The Missile (aka Torpedo) | Jan 16, 1971 | 7.3 |
| 17 | The Field | Jan 23, 1971 | 7.5 |
| 18 | Blast | Jan 30, 1971 | 7.3 |
| 19 | The Cataflaque | Feb 6, 1971 | 7.4 |
| 20 | Kitara (aka The Bigot) | Feb 20, 1971 | 7.1 |
| 21 | A Ghost Story | Feb 27, 1971 | 7.0 |
| 22 | The Party | Mar 6, 1971 | 7.2 |
| 23 | The Merchant | Mar 17, 1971 | 7.4 |
22 episodes • 1971Avg: 7.4
| # | Episode | Air Date | Rating |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Blind | Sep 18, 1971 | 7.5 |
| 2 | Encore | Sep 25, 1971 | 8.0 |
| 3 | The Tram | Oct 2, 1971 | 7.7 |
| 4 | Mindbend | Oct 9, 1971 | 7.3 |
| 5 | Shape-Up | Oct 16, 1971 | 7.3 |
| 6 | The Miracle | Oct 23, 1971 | 7.0 |
| 7 | Encounter | Oct 30, 1971 | 7.3 |
| 8 | Underwater | Nov 6, 1971 | 7.2 |
| 9 | Invasion | Nov 13, 1971 | 7.7 |
| 10 | Blues (aka Hard Rock) | Nov 20, 1971 | 7.2 |
| 11 | The Visitors | Nov 27, 1971 | 7.3 |
| 12 | Nerves | Dec 4, 1971 | 7.2 |
| 13 | Run for the Money | Dec 11, 1971 | 6.9 |
| 14 | The Connection | Dec 18, 1971 | 7.5 |
| 15 | The Bride | Jan 1, 1972 | 7.3 |
| 16 | Stone Pillow (aka Big House) | Jan 8, 1972 | 7.4 |
| 17 | Image | Jan 15, 1972 | 7.2 |
| 18 | Committed | Jan 22, 1972 | 7.3 |
| 19 | Bag Woman | Jan 29, 1972 | 7.5 |
| 20 | Double Dead | Feb 12, 1972 | 7.5 |
| 21 | Casino (aka Vacuum, Rumble) | Feb 19, 1972 | 7.5 |
| 22 | Trapped | Feb 26, 1972 | 7.6 |
22 episodes • 1972Avg: 7.3
| # | Episode | Air Date | Rating |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Break! | Sep 16, 1972 | 7.7 |
| 2 | Two Thousand | Sep 23, 1972 | 7.7 |
| 3 | The Deal | Sep 30, 1972 | 7.5 |
| 4 | Leona | Oct 7, 1972 | 7.3 |
| 5 | TOD-5 (aka The Carrier) | Oct 14, 1972 | 7.6 |
| 6 | Cocaine | Oct 21, 1972 | 7.3 |
| 7 | Underground | Oct 28, 1972 | 7.0 |
| 8 | Movie | Nov 4, 1972 | 7.5 |
| 9 | Hit | Nov 11, 1972 | 7.1 |
| 10 | Ultimatum | Nov 18, 1972 | 7.7 |
| 11 | Kidnap | Dec 2, 1972 | 7.7 |
| 12 | Crack-Up | Dec 9, 1972 | 7.1 |
| 13 | The Puppet | Dec 22, 1972 | 7.4 |
| 14 | Incarnate | Jan 5, 1973 | 7.1 |
| 15 | Boomerang | Jan 12, 1973 | 7.1 |
| 16 | The Question | Jan 19, 1973 | 7.6 |
| 17 | The Fountain | Jan 26, 1973 | 7.2 |
| 18 | The Fighter | Feb 9, 1973 | 6.8 |
| 19 | Speed | Feb 16, 1973 | 7.0 |
| 20 | The Pendulum | Feb 23, 1973 | 6.9 |
| 21 | The Western | Mar 2, 1973 | 6.7 |
| 22 | Imitation | Mar 30, 1973 | 7.2 |
