# Mission: Impossible (1988)

> A covert team of American agents, led by Jim Phelps, takes on impossible missions through elaborate disguises and deceptions.

Canonical page: https://ember.film/tv/9184

## Facts

- Seasons: 2
- Episodes: 35
- Episode runtime: 60 min
- Status: Ended
- Genres: action, drama, crime
- Created by: Bruce Geller
- Network: ABC
- Cast: Peter Graves, Thaao Penghlis, Antony Hamilton, Phil Morris, Jane Badler, Terry Markwell, Bob Johnson, Rowena Wallace
- TMDB rating: 7.5/10
- IMDb: https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0094511/

## Ember's analysis

- Pacing: brisk
- Intensity: moderate
- Complexity: accessible
- Violence: mild
- Tone: breezy, propulsive, playful, suspenseful

## What critics say

Audiences rate the revival positively as a fast-paced spy caper, though it is seen as a lighter, more formulaic continuation of the original.

## Synopsis

Mission: Impossible (1988-1990) is an American espionage series created by Bruce Geller for ABC, a revival of the 1966 original. Peter Graves reprises his role as Jim Phelps, leader of the Impossible Missions Force, a covert team of secret government agents who accept assignments that seem impossible to carry out. Thaao Penghlis, Antony Hamilton, Phil Morris and Jane Badler fill out the team, with the mysterious voice of The Tape delivering each briefing before it self destructs. The engine of each episode is a self-contained operation: the crew builds an elaborate plan of disguises, staged deceptions and gadgetry to infiltrate a target, then improvises when the scheme threatens to collapse. Across two seasons and thirty-five episodes, the show follows a case-of-the-week format rather than one continuing story. Its tone is brisk, playful and polished, with a cool, glossy 1980s sheen and a focus on teamwork and ingenuity over violence. Fans of The Man from U.N.C.L.E. and Alias will find resonance in its clever capers and globe-trotting espionage, and the series sits in the vein of its celebrated 1960s predecessor.

## Shows like Mission: Impossible

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- [The Avengers (1961)](https://ember.film/tv/2347)
- [I Spy (1965)](https://ember.film/tv/4652)
- [The New Avengers (1976)](https://ember.film/tv/9622)
- [The A-Team (1983)](https://ember.film/tv/1430)
- [Hart to Hart (1979)](https://ember.film/tv/3005)
- [MacGyver (1985)](https://ember.film/tv/2733)
- [Airwolf (1984)](https://ember.film/tv/2008)
- [Alias (2001)](https://ember.film/tv/1937)
- [Get Smart (1995)](https://ember.film/tv/14750)

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