Claim: Mission: Impossible began in 1966.

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 -LRB- IMF -RRB- . 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 was filmed and financed by Desilu Productions , and aired on the CBS network from September 1966 to March 1973 . The series was revived in 1988 for two seasons on ABC , retaining only Graves in the cast . It also inspired a series of theatrical motion pictures starring Tom Cruise , beginning in 1996 .