Quick recap
The original CBS series, created by Bruce Geller, ran 7 seasons and 171 episodes, from 1966 to 1973. Every episode opens with the IMF leader getting his assignment from a self-destructing recording, with the warning that the Secretary will disavow everything if anyone is caught. Dan Briggs runs the team in season 1; from season 2 on, it's Jim Phelps. The classic crew has Cinnamon Carter, master of disguise Rollin Hand, engineer Barney Collier and strongman Willy Armitage. Later come the magician Paris and other agents. The cons are elaborate setups that get the villain to give himself away. In the later seasons, the usual target is the Syndicate, organized crime. The show won 10 Emmys and ended because reruns made more money than new episodes.