Mission Impossible

"Your mission, Jim, should you accept it..." So began each thrilling instalment of Mission: Impossible, the iconic American television series that captured the imaginations of viewers around the globe during its original run from 1966 to 1973. At its heart was Jim Phelps, stoically portrayed by Peter Graves (brother of Gunsmoke’s James Arness), who led the Impossible Missions Force (IMF) – a crack team of secret agents entrusted with the world’s most sensitive and dangerous assignments.

Typically pitted against the fictional regimes of the Cold War era, the IMF found themselves embroiled in high-stakes missions such as the liberation of diplomats from enemy hands or the recovery of vital intelligence documents. What set Mission: Impossible apart from other spy dramas of the time was its ensemble of uniquely talented operatives: Rollin Hand (Martin Landau), the chameleon-like master of disguise; Cinnamon Carter (Barbara Bain), the glamorous femme fatale; the muscle-bound Willy Armitage (Peter Lupus); and the tech-savvy Barney Collier (Greg Morris), whose wizardry with electronics rivalled that of James Bond’s Q.

The show was a tour de force of clever storytelling, intricate plotting, and a signature reliance on gadgets and deception rather than brute force. Landau and Bain – real-life husband and wife – brought a remarkable chemistry to the screen, while Leonard Nimoy, fresh from Star Trek, added further gravitas when he joined as the illusionist Paris.

The series was both critically acclaimed and commercially successful, securing back-to-back Emmys for Outstanding Dramatic Series in 1967 and 1968. Barbara Bain’s portrayal of Cinnamon Carter earned her Best Actress honours for three consecutive years – a testament to both her performance and the progressive inclusion of a strong female lead.

Of course, no review of Mission: Impossible would be complete without mention of its pulsating, now-legendary theme tune composed by Lalo Schifrin. A hit on both sides of the Atlantic, the track became synonymous with tension, style, and impending subterfuge.

Broadcast in no fewer than 70 countries, the original series left an indelible mark on global television culture and laid the foundation for the Hollywood revival launched in 1996. The Tom Cruise-led film series retained the iconic music and core premise of impossible missions but shifted the tone towards high-octane action and special effects.

In all, the original Mission: Impossible stands as a masterpiece of television espionage – a smart, stylish, and suspenseful series that defined an era and continues to influence the genre to this day. Accepting this mission was never in doubt.