How to Watch the ‘Mission: Impossible’ Movies in Order

This page covers how to watch all of the Mission: Impossible films in order and also explains where the two classic TV series fit into the official timeline.

How to Watch All 'Mission: Impossible' Movies in Order

Due to the lack of prequels, flashbacks, and timeline wackiness that’s present in other franchises such as the Marvel Cinematic Universe and Star Wars, you can actually just watch the Mission: Impossible movies in order of release, and all of the in-universe events will happen chronologically.

Here’s the official Mission: Impossible chronological and release watch order and links to where to watch them online.

Which 'Mission: Impossible' Movies Are Connected?

All of the Mission: Impossible films are connected to each other in various ways, but the most connected entries so far are the fifth and sixth, Rogue Nation and Fallout.

The seventh and eighth entries, Dead Reckoning and its unnamed sequel, will also be tightly connected. To give you some idea, their original titles were Dead Reckoning, Part 1, and Dead Reckoning, Part 2.

Mission: Impossible III and Ghost Protocol (the fourth entry) also have a lot of connective tissue, but not to the same degree.

Which 'Mission: Impossible' Movies Are Standalone?

The first three entries are all fairly standalone and are great choices if you’re new to the series and only have the time to watch one movie. However, it is worth noting that each of them has a distinct style, and they don't 'match' each other as well as the later films.

Mission: Impossible feels a bit like a European spy movie. M:I-2 is set in Australia and directed by John Woo, and it features incredibly stylized and over-the-top action set pieces. M:I III, directed by J.J. Abrams, is the closest of the three in style to the latter entries in the series. It also introduces Ethan Hunt’s love interest, Julia Meade, who has a strong presence in future films.

Which Actors Have Been in All of the 'Mission: Impossible' Movies?

Tom Cruise and Ving Rhames are the only actors to have appeared in all eight “Mission: Impossible” movies. Simon Pegg has starred in six of the series’ films, with his first appearance being in Mission: Impossible III. Henry Czerny, Michelle Monaghan, Rebecca Ferguson, Vanessa Kirby, Frederick Schmidt, and Angela Bassett have all been in three movies each.

While some of these actors show up in consecutive films, others are sprinkled out across the series. For example, Henry Czerny initially appeared in the first Mission: Impossible movie and then reprised his role over two decades later in the seventh and eighth entries. Michelle Monaghan, however, has appeared in the third, fourth, and sixth chapters. 

Are the 'Mission: Impossible' Movies in the Same Universe as the Show?

Yes, the “Mission: Impossible” movies and the two original TV series are actually set within the same continuity. The main character of the series even appears in the first film (although a different actor plays him).

The original Mission: Impossible TV series ran for seven seasons (171 episodes) from 1966 through 1973 with each episode focusing on the Impossible Missions Force (IMF) spy team using their various skills and specialties to carry out a secret (and, yes, exceedingly difficult) operation.

The second Mission: Impossible TV series ran for only two seasons (35 episodes) from 1988 to 1990. It’s set 15 years after the first series and follows Jim Phelps (Peter Graves) returning from retirement to lead an IMF team consisting of entirely new characters.

The first proper Mission: Impossible movie, Mission Impossible (1996) takes place six years after the end of the second TV series. It features Jim Phelps (Jon Voight, this time) and shows his eventual succession by Tom Cruise’s Ethan Hunt.

Do You Have to Watch the 'Mission: Impossible' TV Series to Understand the Movies?

While both Mission: Impossible TV series do share continuity with the films, you don’t have to watch them to understand everything.

Mission: Impossible (1996) is designed as a fresh start for viewers, and no knowledge of the franchise is necessary to understand its plot and characters. By the start of Mission: Impossible 2, the movies are completely free of any direct connections to the TV series and are very much their own thing.