Mission: Impossible launched in 1966 with a robust, inventive, and groundbreaking first season that is easily the series’ least formulaic — largely because it served as the laboratory in which the formula was perfected. With more guest stars and a broader diversity of approaches, season one was a rich, unpredictable one, and rewards re-watching. Steven Hill’s short-lived, peculiar turn as the inscrutable Dan Briggs is an under-appreciated character in the show’s legacy. Briggs, of course, was overshadowed this year by Rollin Hand; more often than not, Martin Landau stole the show. An auspicious debut year.
