The year is whizzing by, and with the Emmys around the corner, conversation is turning to the best TV shows of 2026. Naturally, prestige shows across the biggest streaming services like Netflix, HBO Max, Hulu and Apple TV spring to mind first, but in my household, there’s one TV show that has dominated the screen — and it’s not even on a streamer or TV network.
Instead, the show that has completely engrossed me lately is a web series named “Jet Lag: The Game,” and you can watch every episode free on YouTube. It’s no exaggeration to say I’m obsessed. I’ve bought actual merch (something I never do for shows/movies), and my partner can attest how often I quote “Jet Lag” (she’s very fed up with me saying “sometimes that’s just the way the jets lag” any time something goes vaguely awry).
While “Jet Lag: The Game” has been running since 2022, I only discovered it this year (thanks to YouTuber Sam Reid), which has meant I’ve spent the last few months catching up on the more than 110 available episodes.
With the 19th season, “Japanorama,” currently underway, I’m here to explain why this YouTube travel/game show is an essential watch. And why it deserves a mention when discussing the best television of the year so far.
What even is ‘Jet Lag: The Game’?
![Jet Lag: Japanorama [Trailer] - YouTube](https://img.youtube.com/vi/lPPCjg79EyI/maxresdefault.jpg)
The concept of “Jet Lag: The Game” can be boiled down to this: It follows a trio of presenters (Sam Denby, Adam Chase and Ben Doyle), often with a special guest, competing in a game where the board spans entire countries, or even whole continents.
For example, they’ve done multiple seasons of “Hide + Seek,” which is the childhood game you know, but played across a whole country. Then there’s “Tag Eur It,” where the trio plays a game of tag, with Europe as their playground. There are also more original games like “Stateside Scramble” or “Taiwan: Rail Rush,” which have bespoke sets of rules (but are still pretty easy to follow), and again use whole countries as their backdrop.
One of the beauties of “Jet Lag: The Game” is that each season is a new game, and functions as a self-contained competition. Sure, there are a few running gags and recurring fan-favorite elements like “The Snack Zone” (a short food review segment that pops up regularly), but you can easily pick and choose the individual seasons that appeal to you the most.
When I first discovered “Jet Lag,” I started with season 16, in which Sam, Ben and Adam play hide-and-seek across my native U.K. Afterwards, I jumped around the seasons, picking out the games or travel destinations that appealed to me most. And in just a couple of months, I’d made my way through the entire available stockpile of episodes.
The early seasons are definitely a little rougher — no more so than the first season, which wasn’t even called “Jet Lag: The Game” at the time — but the more recent seasons have strong production values, with slick on-screen graphics. However, the show has still retained its roots as a travel series filmed on the move. This gives it a real rough-and-tumble charm.
'Japanorama' is 'Jet Lag: The Game' at its very best
The latest season, and my personal nominee for the best TV show of the year, is called “Japanorama.” The basic premise is that two teams of two (Sam and Ben vs. Adam and guest Tom Scott) have to race the full length of Japan, completing challenges along the way. This in turn gives them randomly drawn cards with various rewards, like the ability to take a high-speed train for a period or inflict a "curse" on the other team.
It’s an easy formula to get your head around, and “Jet Lag: The Game” does a good job of explaining more complicated game mechanics as they pop up. And perhaps more than any season of “Jet Lag” to date, “Japanorama” strikes the perfect balance between the tension of the two teams competing in a race while offering viewers a slice of virtual tourism.
The season has already been filled with moments that have become fan-favorite scenes, from Adam and Tom's struggles to complete a scavenger hunt to the show's first-ever "Medical Production Pause" after one competitor pushes themselves a little too hard. It's been a blast (so far).
It further helps that, three episodes in (four if you’re a Nebula subscriber, letting you watch episodes early), it’s shaping up to be one of the closest seasons of “Jet Lag” to date. In several previous seasons, I’ve felt confident about who would win within a couple of episodes. In season 18, “Stateside Scramble,” I clocked the eventual winners 30 minutes into episode 1, but in “Japanorama” we’re halfway through, and the race remains nail-bitingly tight. It really does feel like either side could win.
If you’ve never watched “Jet Lag” before, then “Japanorama” makes for the perfect entry point to this wonderful show. Just don’t be surprised if after giving the series a chance, you end up binge-watching every available episode in a matter of weeks. “Jet Lag: The Game” had that effect on me!
Watch "Jet Lag: The Game" seasons 1-19 on YouTube now
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