List of Mission: Impossible (1988 TV series) episodes

The television series Mission: Impossible ran from October 1988 to February 1990 on the ABC network, consisting of 35 episodes running over two seasons. It was a sequel to the original series created by Bruce Geller, which ran from 1966 to 1973. This article includes both broadcast order and production order, which often differed considerably.

Series overview

Season		Episodes		Originally aired
				First aired	Last aired
	1	19		October 23, 1988 (1988-10-23)	May 6, 1989 (1989-05-06)
	2	16		September 21, 1989 (1989-09-21)	February 24, 1990 (1990-02-24)

Episodes

Season 1 (1988–89)

No.	Title	Directed by	Written by	Original air date	Prod. code [1]
1	"The Killer"	Cliff Bole	Arthur Weiss	October 23, 1988 (1988-10-23)	1
Remake of "The Killer" (S05/E01) of the original series. When an assassin (John de Lancie) kills his protégé and replacement as IMF team leader, Jim Phelps comes out of retirement in order to stop both the assassin and the man behind him, known only as "Scorpio". His team's job is complicated when it's discovered the killer makes his decisions at random.
2	"The System"	Cliff Bole	Robert Hamner	October 30, 1988 (1988-10-30)	3
Remake of "The System" (S03/E15) of the original series. In order to get him to turn state's evidence against his Syndicate boss, the IMF makes a crooked casino owner (James Sloyan) believe his boss is setting him up to be eliminated.
3	"Holograms"	Kim Manners	Robert Brennan	November 6, 1988 (1988-11-06)	4
In order to tempt the strongman leader of a Latin American country onto a US territorial island so that he can be extradicted, the IMF uses a 15-year-old boy to pose as his long-lost son. This is the first original episode to either be produced or aired for the revival series.
4	"The Condemned"	Cliff Bole	S : John Truman; T : Ted Roberts & Michael Fisher	November 20, 1988 (1988-11-20)	5
Remake of "The Condemned" (S02/E19). After Grant's father Barney Collier (Greg Morris, reprising his role from the original series) is framed for murder in Istanbul, the IMF must break him out of prison and determine why he was set up. ("John Truman" is a pseudonym for the original episode's writer, Laurence Heath, who had his name removed from the credits of the remake.)
5	"The Legacy"	Kim Manners	Michael Lynn & Allan Balter	November 26, 1988 (1988-11-26)	2
Nicholas poses as one of the four grandsons of Nazi officers who want to use a stash of Nazi gold hidden by their grandfathers at the end of WWII in order to finance a wave of terrorist activities in Europe. Episode revived from the original series (S01/E15), written by William Read Woodfield and Allan Balter (Woodfield had his name taken off the credits of the revived episode; Balter had since died).
6	"The Wall"	Colin Budds	David Phillips	December 11, 1988 (1988-12-11)	6
In order to rescue the daughter of a West German negotiator, the team manipulates a crooked East German doctor who offers to smuggle people to West Berlin for an exorbitant fee but, in reality, delivers them into the hands of the Stasi. The episode is a loose remake of the original series episode "The Bank".
7	"The Cattle King"	Mike Vejar	Ted Roberts	December 18, 1988 (1988-12-18)	7
The IMF sets out to thwart an Australian cattle rancher and arms dealer who is offering to sell Stinger missiles to terrorists by making him think he has been cursed by an Aboriginal shaman. This episode is very similar to "Doomsday".
8	"The Pawn"	Brian Trenchard-Smith	Billy Marshall-Stoneking	January 15, 1989 (1989-01-15)	8
When a Czechoslovakian nuclear scientist and chess grand master wishes to defect to the west with his daughter, the IMF must get him out from under the watchful eye of his minder, a suspicious Soviet colonel.
9	"The Haunting"	Mike Vejar	Michael Fisher	January 28, 1989 (1989-01-28)	9
The IMF team uses the supernatural interests of the domineering mother (Janis Paige) of a serial killer (Parker Stevenson) in order bring him down after he kills the princess of an oil-rich sultanate.
10	"The Lions"	Rob Stewart	S : James Crown; T : David Phillips	February 4, 1989 (1989-02-04)	10
A royal usurper (James Shigeta) is out to kill the true heir to the throne of the Himalayan kingdom of Bajan-Du by replacing the pieces of a deadly puzzle that is part of the coronation ceremony with replicas that will ensure failure.
11	"The Greek"	Colin Budds	Ted Roberts	February 11, 1989 (1989-02-11)	11
The IMF makes the heads of the organization of a Greek tycoon and relief medicine smuggler (Cesare Danova) believe he is double-crossing them.
12	"The Fortune"	Rod Hardy	Robert Brennan	February 18, 1989 (1989-02-18)	12
While performing advanced recon for a mission to recover the money looted from the treasury of a Caribbean nation by its ousted dictator and his Eva Perón-like wife (Barbara Luna, who guest starred on the original series in the episodes "Elena" and "Time Bomb", playing an IMF agent in the latter), Casey is captured and killed by the dictator's wife. The rest of the team, along with new team member Shannon Reed, must accomplish the mission while also obtaining proof of Casey's death. This is the final episode for Terry Markwell as Casey Randall and the first episode for Jane Badler as Shannon Reed. This episode is the only time in either the original series or the remake series that an IMF agent is killed and subsequently disavowed.
13	"The Fixer"	Colin Budds	Walter Brough	February 25, 1989 (1989-02-25)	13
A Washington journalist (Richard Romanus) has a sideline in blackmail and the team must stop him by turning his confidante and bodyguard against him.
14	"Spy"	Rob Stewart	Michael Fisher	March 18, 1989 (1989-03-18)	14
The IMF must go to Africa to stop a rogue former MI6 agent from selling a cache of diamonds in order to finance the sale of chemical weapons. The mission is complicated when Jim Phelps's cover is blown and he is shot.
15	"The Devils"	Arch Nicholson	Ted Roberts	March 25, 1989 (1989-03-25)	15
The team investigates a member of the English gentry who involves foreign and domestic officials in Satanic rituals and human sacrifice for blackmail purposes.
16	"The Plague"	Colin Budds	Rick Maier	April 8, 1989 (1989-04-08)	16
A French terrorist (Maud Adams) has stolen a deadly bacteria that causes rapid organ deterioration in those infected by it. The IMF must convince her she has been infected herself in order to re-obtain it.
17	"Reprisal"	Rob Stewart	Walter Brough	April 15, 1989 (1989-04-15)	17
When a psychotic ex-IMF scientist begins killing the old IMF team that Jim Phelps led which put him behind bars (and frames Jim Phelps for the murders), the new team must figure out how he is killing from his prison cell and try to save the remaining targeted agents. Lynda Day George reprises her role of Casey from the original series; the character was given the first name "Lisa" in order to avoid confusion with the character of Casey Randall.[1]
18	"Submarine"	Colin Budds	Dale Duguid	April 29, 1989 (1989-04-29)	18
The team must track down the purveyor (Mitchell Ryan) of a computer virus that destroys the systems of naval vessels. Written by series art director Dale Duguid. Despite the title, it is not a remake of the original series episode of the same name.
19	"Bayou"	Don Chaffey	Jeffrey M. Hayes	May 6, 1989 (1989-05-06)	19
The team has to take down the head of a white slavery operation in Louisiana (Frank Thring) by using the voodoo beliefs of his trusted lieutenant (Paula Kelly) to drive a wedge between them.

Season 2 (1989–90)

No.	Title	Directed by	Written by	Original air date	Prod. code [1]
20	"The Golden Serpent: Part 1"	Don Chaffey	T : Ted Roberts & Jeffrey M. Hayes; S/T : Michael Seims	September 21, 1989 (1989-09-21)	20
In order to bring down the ruler of a small southeast Asian principality, who is also a member of an opium cartel, the IMF makes the prince believe his long-dead twin brother is still alive and out for revenge. Greg Morris guest stars as Barney Collier.
21	"The Golden Serpent: Part 2"	Don Chaffey	T : Ted Roberts & Jeffrey M. Hayes; S/T : Michael Seims	September 28, 1989 (1989-09-28)	21
Conclusion. After making the leader of the cartel believe the prince had been stealing from him, Jim Phelps and Nicholas pose as rivals trying to take over the organization.
22	"The Princess"	Colin Budds	Ted Roberts	October 5, 1989 (1989-10-05)	22
In order to save a European princess targeted for assassination by a member of her inner circle from the killer known only as "Coyote", the IMF poses as a film production crew making a film about the assassin.
23	"Command Performance"	Arch Nicholson	Robert Brennan	October 12, 1989 (1989-10-12)	23
The IMF team poses as circus performers to rescue a priest who can bring down a Baltic defense minister and recover a hidden relic which contains state secrets. Similar to the original series episode "Old Man Out".
24	"Countdown"	Brian Trenchard-Smith	Chip Hayes	October 26, 1989 (1989-10-26)	24
Grant must get close to a religious zealot while the team works to convince her that her co-conspirator has betrayed her by bringing her leader, the Holy One, into the blast zone of a nuclear bomb she has placed in a secret location.
25	"War Games"	Rod Hardy	Walter Brough	November 2, 1989 (1989-11-02)	25
A power-hungry Eastern European general plans to turn war games on his country's border into the real thing. His objective is to conquer the bordering nation's oil fields and overthrow his own government; the team must use the general's fervent belief in astrology against him.
26	"Target Earth"	Colin Budds	Stephen Kandel	November 9, 1989 (1989-11-09)	26
When the first private manned space flight is hijacked by terrorists, with Shannon on board, the IMF has to take control of both the spacecraft and mission control before a retaliatory US missile strike levels the base – with the rest of the team hostage inside. (Stephen Kandel is the only writer other than Walter Brough ("The Fixer," "Reprisal" and "War Games") to contribute original scripts to both the original series and series remake.)
27	"The Fuehrer's Children"	Don Chaffey	Frank Abatemarco	November 16, 1989 (1989-11-16)	27
A neo-Nazi leader plans to unify the world's white supremacist groups and create a fourth Reich using kidnapped children that were brainwashed from an early age.
28	"Banshee"	Colin Budds	Ted Roberts	November 30, 1989 (1989-11-30)	28
During The Troubles, the IMF uses the legend of the banshee to stop a small-town pub owner who blew up a bus full of old people in order to goose his side business of arms dealing.
29	"For Art's Sake"	Don Chaffey	John Whelpley	December 14, 1989 (1989-12-14)	29
An important national painting, on loan to the United States, is stolen by an art thief and placed in a hidden gallery. The IMF have to recover the painting before an international incident occurs, with a little help from a computer-forged Degas. Alex Cord, the villain from Season 7's "Crack Up" from the original series, stars as the villain in this episode.
30	"Deadly Harvest"	Arch Nicholson	Jan Sardi	January 6, 1990 (1990-01-06)	30
The IMF travels to the Middle Eastern nation of Orambaq to disrupt a terrorist plot to destroy the American wheat harvest that would introduce virus-laden seeds into the US supply.
31	"Cargo Cult"	Colin Budds	Dale Duguid	January 13, 1990 (1990-01-13)	31
The IMF must stop evil miners from using the beliefs of a Pacific cargo cult to extract gold in a manner that is killing the islanders.
32	"The Assassin"	Arch Nicholson	Cliff Green	January 20, 1990 (1990-01-20)	32
The team investigates a series of assassinations of government officials by their subordinates, who then kill themselves. This episode is a remake of season 6's "Mindbend".
33	"The Gunslinger"	Colin Budds	S : Dan Roberts; T : Ted Roberts	February 3, 1990 (1990-02-03)	33
A wild west tourist attraction in Nevada being run by a power-broker ex-Congressman is a front for a secret operation that the IMF must uncover and put a stop to.
34	"Church Bells in Bogota"	Arch Nicholson	Frank Abatemarco	February 10, 1990 (1990-02-10)	34
The plan to bring a brutal Colombian drug lord to the US to stand trial is complicated when Shannon, undercover as a singer, is in a plane crash and develops amnesia.
35	"The Sands of Seth"	Colin Budds	Jeffrey M. Hayes	February 24, 1990 (1990-02-24)	35
A museum curator is killing Egyptian politicians to resurrect the ancient death cult of Seth and crown himself pharaoh.

References

1. White, Patrick J. (1991). The Complete Mission: Impossible Dossier. New York: Avon Books. ISBN 0-380-75877-6.

External links

• Mission: Impossible – list of episodes on IMDb (1988 version)