How a writers' strike birthed a high-tech spy revival
In short: In 1988, a massive writers' strike threatened the fall television season. To fill the void, ABC revived the iconic Mission: Impossible, using updated scripts from the 1960s. The result was a high-tech reimagining that traded analog tapes for digital discs and moved production to Australia.
The 1988 revival of Mission: Impossible was born out of necessity. Facing a writers' strike that prevented new scripts, producers turned to the original series' archives, updating the material for a new era. While the show initially aimed to remake the original characters, the creators eventually pivoted to a new ensemble, with only Jim Phelps—played by returning actor Peter Graves—remaining from the 1966–1973 run.
The production underwent significant changes to suit the late 1980s. To reduce costs by approximately 20 percent compared to Hollywood, the series was filmed in Australia, specifically at the Village Roadshow Studios in Queensland for the first season and in Melbourne for the second. This made it one of the first American network programs to utilize Australian filming locations, incorporating many local actors into the cast.
Technologically, the series pushed toward science fiction. The classic briefing tape was replaced by a small black optical disc player featuring a built-in thumbprint scanner and a numeric keypad. The team's methods also evolved; mask-making became a digital, automated process, and the Impossible Missions Force (IMF) was depicted as a much larger organization with various divisions. Despite these innovations, the series struggled with scheduling, eventually being cancelled after its second season following a failed move to a Thursday night slot against heavy competition.
The series also introduced higher stakes for its operatives. In the episode "The Fortune," the character Casey Randall was killed, marking the first time an ongoing IMF agent was disavowed on screen. This prompted the introduction of Shannon Reed, a Secret Service agent who joined the team for the remainder of the series.
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- Summary by Intellect · source: Mission: Impossible (1988 TV series)
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