As of this month, 182 episodes of GOING SEVENTEEN have made their way to the group’s YouTube channel ever since it became a regular feature in 2019. The show consistently pushes the boundaries of what a web series can be, crossing genre lines in every episode. GOING SEVENTEEN is consistently produced to such quality that it could practically stand as a streaming service on its own. GOING SEVENTEEN has everything from “Don’t Lie” episodes, where the boys play elaborate games of Mafia, to their “BAD CLUE” episodes that play out like a mystery series, the horror-thrillers “EGO” and “Grudge,” and lighter episodes like those centered around chases and mind games. We’ve selected some classic episodes that you can curl up in a nice, warm blanket with to pass the winter. With immersive gameplay, entertaining players, and set design and costumes that are a cut above, you can never go wrong with GOING SEVENTEEN! 

“Don’t Lie”: a long thread of Mafia games

“Don’t Lie” combines a game of Mafia with a treasure hunt and was the first game in GOING SEVENTEEN to make a comeback each season, now spanning 13 episodes over three years, with the first part of “Don’t Lie Ⅱ” having been watched over 10 million times (as of December 20) and a three-parter released over a period of two and a half months during season four. It’s fair to say the episodes have become the series’ signature, and it’s all thanks to a mix of the group’s mastery of the game and the production team’s ability to incorporate other games seamlessly into Mafia. The concept evolves with each season, introducing new roles like the broker and the thief, and other house rules like treasure hunts and chase sequences, and is even merged with the “CLUE” episodes for some thrilling mind games.

When “Don’t Lie” starts, the members of SEVENTEEN start trying to prove their innocence, with all the others making arguments against them just as quickly, using their reasoning skills, accusing others outright, or putting it to a vote (which turns out to be futile, since opinions can shift wildly and the votes never match the claims that are made anyway). Making the games even more exciting are the way the group suspects JEONGHAN of foul play even when he isn’t doing anything just because he typically makes trouble, and how HOSHI splits the group into factions and pits them against one another. After all these years together, the group members can see it in each other’s eyes when they’re acting suspicious, leading to alliances and constant betrayals. GOING SEVENTEEN takes its humor seriously, and the mafia members’ acting skills, the look on someone’s face when they’re led astray by a bad guess, and the perfectly placed captions and editing make the show hilarious to watch even when it’s hard to keep up 100% with what’s going on. And make sure not to miss the legendary scene where the mafia members flip the game on its head and openly announce who they’re going to kill.

“EGO” and “Grudge”: a whole new approach to web series production

GOING SEVENTEEN has always been about pushing the envelope of what a variety show can be by introducing new ideas and characters, but in some episodes they take things to the extreme and engage in full-on worldbuilding. Two of the most dramatic “Going original series” are the episodes “EGO” and “Grudge.” Both are genre-benders, incorporating elements of detective fiction, escape room, and horror as they uncover mysteries, use clues to get them out of a pinch, and find themselves in dark places with creepy music and jump scares. While the episodes still give a taste of the members’ personalities, there’s so much polish that they feel like actual movies.

“EGO” takes place in an abandoned lab, opening with the SEVENTEEN members waking up two by two in white coats with no idea how they got there or what they’re supposed to do. But they’re looking for clues soon enough and find a way to escape, all the while peeling back the layers of a mysterious storyline. And while “EGO” is like a horror game, “Grudge” is more of a fictional horror documentary. The boys play YouTubers who come in small groups to what they’re told is an interesting abandoned building, but that’s all the background information they’re given. As they explore the building and interact with members of the community, they piece together what happened there. The film crew stays hands off in both episodes, making the way the SEVENTEEN members experience the story and their reactions to it candid, which also gives viewers the chance to solve the mystery themselves through what the boys say and do rather than through editing tricks or hints from on-screen captions. The members use their experience and wits to quickly adapt to their circumstances and solve the mystery, adding to the excitement of these detective stories. “Grudge” is especially interesting since the SEVENTEEN members were already big in the world of YouTube by the time they played their YouTuber characters—an episode where the lines between YouTube and TV, and YouTubers and idols, are blurred.