How to keep a watchlist independent of streaming services

Keep movie and show ideas outside streaming accounts, choose a place for the list, and check what to save before canceling a subscription.

By VLClean · 2026-11-12

VLClean is published by the makers of Askarr and Watcharr, which are compared here alongside other tools.

Before canceling, put your movie and show ideas in a watchlist that is separate from the streaming account. Choose a document, spreadsheet or paper notebook, and keep enough detail to recognize each title later.

Option	Watchlist method	Before choosing
Watcharr	Paste a public IMDb list to get a movie link for Radarr and a show link for Sonarr. ^[1]	Decide whether the goal includes passing an IMDb list's movies to Radarr and its shows to Sonarr. ^[1]
Document	Write titles and viewing notes in a document.	Check how to save a separate copy and open it later.
Spreadsheet	Use columns for titles, viewing progress and availability notes.	Check how to keep a copy when changing accounts or apps.
Paper notebook	Write titles with room for viewing notes and corrections.	Choose somewhere the notebook can be found when needed.

What you need before you start

Before canceling a subscription, decide which titles are worth keeping and where the record will live. Have the streaming account's saved titles available while making the list, along with any viewing notes you want to preserve. Copy the details you need before changing access to that account.

Prepare enough information to recognize each title later. Include the title, whether it is a movie or show, and a note that distinguishes it from similarly named titles. For an unfinished show, write down where viewing stopped. Leave uncertain details blank rather than guessing.

Choose whether the list is personal or shared with a household. Decide who can change it and where personal notes belong. If the chosen method uses a public list, check the contents before sharing it.

Decide what the watchlist needs to do. Recording future viewing ideas is a different task from passing titles into a library workflow. Have the chosen document, spreadsheet or notebook ready so the move can be finished while reviewing the original titles.

Step by step

Review the saved titles in the streaming account before cancellation. Copy the titles you still want to watch into a temporary note if the final list is not ready. Include unfinished shows as well as things that have not been started, then remove titles that no longer interest you.

Choose where the watchlist will live. For a document, write titles on separate lines. For a spreadsheet, choose columns for the details worth keeping. For a paper notebook, leave room beside titles for later notes. Choose a location you intend to keep using when changing streaming subscriptions.

Give each title enough detail to be recognizable. Record whether it is a movie or show, and add a release year or another identifying detail when known. For a show already in progress, note where viewing stopped. Keep personal reminders, such as who suggested it or why it sounded interesting, beside the title.

Use plain words to distinguish things waiting to be watched from things already started or finished. Choose wording that makes sense when returning to the list later. If household members share the record, agree on what those notes mean and who will update them after watching something.

Put current viewing availability in a separate note rather than making it the title's home. Record a service name when useful, but keep the title recognizable without it. When ready to watch, check where that title can be watched then. Keep the decision about subscriptions separate from the decision about what to remember.

Open the finished watchlist in the way it will normally be used. Find a title, update a viewing note and check how to save a separate copy. Before canceling, compare it with the original saved titles and add anything missed. Keep the copy somewhere clearly named, then continue updating the watchlist as viewing plans change.

Tools that can do it: Watcharr and manual lists

Watcharr is made by the team that publishes this site; when you paste a public IMDb list, it gives you a movie link for Radarr and a show link for Sonarr. ^[1]

Watcharr accepts any public IMDb watchlist or list from the desktop site, the phone site or IMDb's other-language pages. ^[1] The hosted version needs nothing to install and no account. ^[1]

The links are built from the IMDb list's id, so the same list always gives the same movie and show links. ^[1] If Watcharr cannot load the list, its links still provide the last successfully loaded version. ^[1]

For a document, write each title on a separate line and put useful notes beneath it. Keep the title easy to spot when scanning the page. Before choosing a particular document app, check how to save a separate copy and how to open the record if the account used for it changes.

For a spreadsheet, use columns for the title, movie or show, viewing progress and any current availability note. Leave details blank when they are not useful. Before choosing a particular spreadsheet app, check how to save the list elsewhere and whether the saved copy keeps the details needed to recognize titles.

For a paper notebook, write titles with space for viewing notes and later corrections. Keep the notebook somewhere it will be found when choosing what to watch. Decide how household suggestions will be added and how to preserve the record if the notebook is misplaced or damaged.

Common mistakes to avoid

Avoid using the name of a streaming service as the only clue to what a title is. Keep the title itself and enough identifying detail to find it again. Treat a service name as a note about where to look, and check it again when ready to watch.

Avoid turning the move into a complete cataloging project. Save the titles and useful viewing notes, then add extra detail only when it serves a purpose. Uncertain dates or availability can stay blank.

Avoid mixing household suggestions with personal notes without deciding who can see or change them. Review any content intended for a public list, and keep private notes in a separate place.

Avoid treating a copied list as finished forever. Cross out or update titles after watching them, remove ideas that no longer appeal, and check that the chosen copy is still easy to find.

Avoid canceling before checking the saved record. Open it, look for titles that were easy to overlook, and confirm that unfinished shows have enough viewing notes to be useful later.

Frequently asked questions

How does Watcharr use an IMDb watchlist?

Watcharr accepts any public IMDb watchlist or list from the desktop site, phone site or IMDb's other-language pages. ^[1] Paste a public IMDb list to get a movie link for Radarr and a show link for Sonarr. ^[1] Before canceling a streaming account, record the titles worth keeping and decide where that watchlist will live.

Does Watcharr require an account or an installation?

Watcharr's hosted version needs nothing to install and no account. ^[1] You can paste, copy and browse from any screen size in the web app. ^[1] The bookmark for adding the list inside Radarr or Sonarr appears on bigger screens. ^[1] ^[1]

Can Watcharr combine IMDb lists for a household?

Signed-in users can combine several IMDb lists into a Radarr link and a Sonarr link for the whole household. ^[1] A title that is on two of those lists is added only once. ^[1] Decide which household lists should be included before combining them, and keep personal viewing notes wherever they are most useful.

What happens when Watcharr cannot read an IMDb list?

If a read of the list fails, Watcharr's links keep serving the last list that loaded correctly. ^[1] If you sign in, Watcharr checks your list again about every 15 minutes and warns you when it has been unable to load the list three checks in a row. ^[1]

How does Watcharr handle shows it cannot match?

Watcharr leaves out shows it cannot match and tells you which ones it skipped. ^[1] Check that information before treating the show list as complete, and keep the skipped titles in the main record of what to watch if they still matter to you.

Its code is available to read under the PolyForm Noncommercial 1.0.0 licence; older versions remain under MIT. ^[1]

Try Watcharr

Sources

Watcharr's own description of itself (the product of this site's publisher)