Few modern-day action franchises have had the same longevity as the Mission: Impossible film series. While it began as a spy/thriller TV series that was first broadcast in the late 1960s, the name "Mission: Impossible" is now most associated with the blockbuster action series led by Tom Cruise. In the series, he plays Impossible Missions Force (IMF) agent Ethan Hunt, who goes on a series of high-stakes adventures that involve preventing shadowy enemies from causing chaos on an international scale.