User reviews

Apparently not all Mission Impossible fans are happy with the 1988 remake. As someone who IS old enough to remember the original, I can tell you that it's actually a pretty good show, and a damn sight better than the movies! The new and old casts are comparable. Let's face it, you don't get to flex a lot of acting muscles on a show like this, so in terms of thespic efforts, I'd say the '88 cast matches the classic cast (Landau/Bain/et.al.) pretty well, and had its own charisma.

Yes, some of the plots are recycled -- a necessity because of a writers' strike at the time. That's the only reason this show got remade in the first place. We're lucky it didn't get yanked after only ONE season when the writers went back to work. But ABC had some modest success with this, and we got an extra year out of it.

Critics have correctly pointed out that one difference between the Missions is that the original was more cagey regarding the information it gave to the audience. For instance, you might see Barney with an electronic device, and Cinnamon and Rollin discussing some bit of trickery, without them explaining what the purpose behind them was. You just had to wait to see the show play out to find out where these things fit into the plot. The newer show, however, had a tendency to want to explain more: "Okay, now we're gonna use these projectors and mirrors to make Mr. Badguy think someone's trying to assassinate him." Another flaw was that some episodes got a little outlandish. Jane Badler in space comes to mind. And the writers had this unnatural love for overlaying supernatural themes on their espionage missions. More than a few plots revolved around spooking some international thug by means of "ghosts" and other hauntings. It was a bit much to believe that so many dictators and terrorists were superstitious enough to fall for this stuff. And one last carp: sometimes the IMF's technology was a bit TOO sci-fi. In one episode, for example, they "un-erased" a videotape while double-talking about some "infrared" layer underneath that could be recovered. That's scientifically illiterate. You'd have as much luck trying to unscramble an egg.

Yet despite these flaws, the show was a delight. The tape recorder sequences were wonderfully updated with a miniature DVD device. The "cons" were still exciting. And the music was just as good as you remembered it...maybe even better. Just the opening title sequence alone was worth tuning in. While it didn't change from week to week as the old show's did, it was very high-tech and very well-cut, like a good music video, and gave the show a welcome face-lift.

And of course it was nice to see Jim Phelps again every week. Even if he had a different supporting cast. Tom Cruise can screw up the franchise all he wants. Mr. Phelps will always be our hero.

I was a huge fan of the original series and couldn't wait to see this new show when it debuted. I found the cast very attractive (and I was a big fan of Tony Hamilton's, may he rest in peace) but disappointed that they recycled scripts from the original series. Nevertheless, though it wasn't the original, I did enjoy it and would have loved it if they'd kept it going.

I especially liked that they brought Peter Graves back and had him use a lot of new-fangled devices. I don't know why they got rid of the first actress, but Jane Badler was wonderful - and I guess she's since made Australia her home.

i used to watch this when i was a kid and believe me its just too awesome. Its classy and its just too smart. Always waited for the episodes. The acting is just excellent and i have watched a few of the old original ones and that's great too. But this series is just too excitable and fascinating. If anyone would like to spend their weekend watching an old series of spy movies or series then THIS IS THE ONE.

Am sorry i just loved this and another series called bounty hunters. But IMDb doesn't have that series here which is very surprising.

Just feel sad that they lamed such a great series into a lame movie where stunts are just really impossible. But if you watch this series they will make you understand whats the real meaning of *Mission Impossible* where its possible but kinda impossible. Watch it then you would know what am talking about.

I didn't see the 1960's series of Mission Impossible. However, I did catch this when it first started, and again when it was repeated on Saturday nights. Every episode was exciting to watch, and held my interest right to the end. All the gadgets and tricks they used to accomplish their missions were awesome, especially the dude with the face masks.

I was disappointed when it was taken off, and think it's a real shame this series didn't last longer than two years. I don't think the Tom Cruise movie would even be a patch on this.

All in all an excellent series, extremely well done and very well filmed (with Australia "doubling-up" for some of the more out-of-the-way places).

For this revival (which not only returned the classic series to television but also four of its original episodes - "The Killer" , "The Condemned," "The System" and "The Legacy") Peter Graves again assumed command of the IM Force with a new set of equivalents for the old unit, shot in Australia and with stronger effects... but lesser scripts.

Watching the originals again, they're miniature gems particularly in the first few years; the new version just isn't as compelling, although having Casey Randall be the first IM member to actually die in the course of duty was unusual. The episode "Submarine" pretty much encapsulates the remake's inferiority; written by the show's visual effects supervisor Dale Duguid, there's an unfortunate emphasis on how the illusion required to trap the villain is done, which suffuses any suspense.

The show does, however, have more fidelity to the concept than the misguided cinema version from Cruise and DePalma, which is why this is ultimately preferable. But the original show is the one to watch.

When this series originally aired, I remember watching it with my father. I remember being enthralled by the gadgets.

Now that the series is available on DVD, in two sets, it was a pleasure to watch through the whole thing.

As an adult, I'm much more able to see the weaknesses the show had, but I also can appreciate some of the more responsible approaches that the show had, especially in the sense of being a largely peaceful team.

The budget isn't great. Some sequences appear to have been shot on video. Several episodes use stock footage, especially later ones.

The cast is remarkably attractive.

The area where the show falters is later in the first season, and during much of the second. The writing got lazy. The plots got more linear, more predictable. And in some cases, the gimmick for the episode got in the way of making a decent plot.

Another thing that gradually got on my nerves was the laziness in writing the opening scenes, when Phelps retrieves the mission. In many of these, he winds up retrieving the disc, and watching it, in a place much more public than usual. In one of them, he watches it on an amusement park ride, and we see people walking around in the background. Hardly a secure location.

I've been watching episodes from the original series, and while the writing was more careful, and better plotted, the biggest improvement that the 88 Mission Impossible had was the pacing. The episodes felt like they moved along very quickly.

This series is entirely worth watching. But, especially with the reliance on stock footage, the show looks far more dated than it should.

In a series rebooted 20 years after the original, obviously a few things were going to change. They went for more action, and this MI team got involved in frequent shootouts, something seldom seen in the original.

The original MI plots were tighter and with fewer plot holes than these stories, except for the few they reshot ... which happened because of a writer's strike in 1988.

Finally, you just don't replace Martin Landau and Barbara Bain, and they couldn't on the original series, either. Leonard Nimoy was close, but still not Landau.

However, we enjoyed rewatching this series last summer, and were sorry when we got to the last episode. The actors were engaging enough in their roles to involve us.

As good as the original? No. But decent in it's own right? Yes.

In 1988, CBS decided to revive the old "Mission: Impossible" TV show. However, to cut costs they did something odd...they filmed the show in Australia! The first season was made in Queensland (north of Sydney) and the second season was made in Melbourne. Generally, this isn't all that obvious, though some of team members sure sound like Aussies...especially Anthony Hamilton. So is it any good? Generally, very good...with a few exceptions. First, because of the writers strike, several of the early episodes are just remakes of old episodes. A few of the episodes (such as "The Devils" and "Bayou") are just insanely bad--with plots such as convincing a mark that Mr. Phelps is Satan himself!!! But generally, the show avoided this sort of thing and brought us more of what everyone loved back in the 60s and 70s...lots of cool plots and gadgets. And, even though Peter Graves was a good bit younger, the shows worked well. It's just too bad the network lost faith in the show and moved it in their schedule...making folks miss out on it because of the change.

By the way, BOTH seasons of the reboot are available on DVD and are worth having.

I loved this show as a teenager in the 90s. The masquerade trick was a bit over the top. It's not 100% credible that you can imitate another person by rubber-masking. Apart from that, it was always top notch. The plots had tension, the characters were credible, and the concept was inventive. 20 years after the original show aired, getting a secret tape by the Pentagon at the start of each episode still felt innovative. How would you deliver a mission confidentially ? And disclaim all liability if someone dies ? That way. I loved that. MacGyver was on that show's level of ingeniuty. James Bond just was not.

At the time, CBS was severely affected by the writers strike in the US. CBS simply rehashed the better episodes from the original series and produced them in Australia. I was thrilled to see the MI show come back, but soon had the feeling that I had seen the episodes before. However, it was still fun to set aside an hour on early Saturday evening to see a "new" show rather than to watch another rerun of some other show.

FApparently not all Mission Impossible fans are happy with the 1988 remake. As someone who IS old enough to remember the original, I can tell you that it's actually a pretty good show, and a damn sight better than the movies! The new and old casts are comparable. Let's face it, you don't get to flex a lot of acting muscles on a show like this, so in terms of thespic efforts, I'd say the '88 cast matches the classic cast (Landau/Bain/et.al.) pretty well, and had its own charisma.

Yes, some of the plots are recycled -- a necessity because of a writers' strike at the time. That's the only reason this show got remade in the first place.

I remember Mission: Impossible, this one filmed in Australia. Kind of a precursor to the John Woo one.

Peter Graves provided a valuable link to the past, and the scenery was impressive.

I am a huge fan of the new version of Mission Impossible. I am sorry to say I have never seen the older version. I grew up in the 80's and this was one of my favorite shows. I am also a huge fan of the V miniseries which starred Jane Badler and the tv series Cover Up which starred Tony Hamilton. The cast was great and got even better when they added Jane Badler to replace Terry Markwell. The show had amazing locations and special effects. The movies with Tom Cruise were good with the sequel being better than the first. I didnt like the fact that they used the character of Jim Phelps that way. Especially since they didnt have Peter Graves. They should have used a different character name. I too wish the series had lasted longer than two seasons; it deserved to. I have the episodes on tape from where Jane Badler first appeared, but I would like to have all of the new version. I hope they release it on tape or DVD. My copies are showing their age a little.

I first watched the remake, and I loved every single episode I saw. Then I've seen some episodes from the original series and they're awesome too. These series, original and remake, are superb! I'd like to have them (particularly the Remake) on DVD as soon as possible; so what's taking so long?! PLEASE! :)

Mission Impossible is AMAZING!!! I've never seen the first version, and I wasn't very old when this series came out, but I can remember being spellbound and intrigued by this team of crime fighters! I still am! The background music and plots are excellent as is the acting! I have a few of these amazing episodes on tape, but I'd REALLY like to see the series come out on DVD!!! If anyone reads this and knows of anywhere I can get a copy of the series - post a comment to let me know! Thanks!

ams0143

This was a really wonderful show, much better than the cheap (special effects) original. Of course if they made another series now, it would be better than this one but as there are no current plans to make a series, then I would if I were you, purchase this series if they release on DVD after MI3 hits our screens later this year. In America, it seems that if audience ratings go down a little, they just scrap a quality series, so I wouldn't worry about it having been discontinued, it was and is, the next best thing to waiting years for each Tom Cruise MI movie to come out (though I am a great fan of the MI movies - I hate the waiting!). As well as better special effects and gadgets, the story lines were more up to date and believable. Can't recommend enough, can't wait for the DVD series to come out.

Although the plot lines are not bad the first episode alone should alert to the cheap production values of the series - filmed in Australia the episode for most of the time is supposed to be in London, and if there was a IMDb prize for the number of location goofs it would win hands down. At least in cold war days you could imagine that a far off East European country was being represented... here the location is just jarring....a red phone box is moved around scenes, the Thames apparently has a modern suspension bridge and one star hotels in London have uniformed members of staff to open doors (I wish).

I laughed my head off at the policeman demanding to see the motorists licence (a la USA) something that just doesn't happen in the UK. A pity that the series was done on the cheap due to the writers strike - it could have been a worthy successor to the original (and on the other hand despite its faults it's still better than the film travesties).

I don't know who was short of money when the decision got taken to remake a classic, but this series was truly dire. First of all, Peter Graves looked about ninety, he just didn't seem to be a top undercover spy. I understand this was made in Australia owing to a strike in Hollywood and boy oh boy it showed. What was originally a wonderful programme full of suspense and intrigue lurched into almost a comedy with none of the class of the earlier show. The scripts were not even new, they were all lifted from the original and hideously changed to try and fit a new environment. A dire show that luckily for the viewer didn't last too long, though then we had to contend with the two films. Please leave these old series alone to be released on DVD so the next generation can see the original classic and not this monstrosity.