How to mark awards lists as watched in 2026

Q: What happens when Watcharr cannot match an awards show?

Watcharr looks up TheTVDB ids. Shows it cannot match are left out, and Watcharr tells you which ones were skipped. Check the skipped titles against the awards completion record so an unmatched show is not mistaken for a title that has already been watched.

Learn how award completionists can track watched titles from awards lists and check which tools can support the workflow.

By VLClean · 2026-11-09

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

Start with the awards lists that matter, decide what counts as watched, and keep one clear record of completed titles. Watcharr can turn a public IMDb list into Radarr and Sonarr links, but its approved claims describe list delivery rather than marking titles as watched. ^[1]

Option	How it can support the workflow	Cost details
Manual checklist	Mark each award title as watched after it meets the chosen viewing rule.	not published
Spreadsheet	Keep award titles and their watched state in a separate completion record.	not published
Watcharr	Turn one public IMDb list into one Radarr link for movies and one Sonarr link for shows. ^[1]	The hosted version needs nothing to install and no account. ^[1]

What you need before you start

Choose the awards, years, categories, and winning titles that belong in the completion list. Decide whether a title counts as watched only after the full movie or season is finished, or whether another rule applies. Keep that rule the same across the whole list.

Have one place ready for the watched record. This can be the list itself, a separate checklist, or another tracking method. The important part is that each title has a clear state, such as not watched or watched.

If the awards list comes from IMDb, keep the public list available when a tool needs to read it. Watcharr accepts any public IMDb watchlist or list from the desktop site, the phone site or IMDb's other-language pages. ^[1]

If movies and shows need to move into a library before they can be watched, have the relevant library tools ready. Watcharr can provide one Radarr link for movies and one Sonarr link for shows from one public IMDb list. ^[1]

For a self-hosted setup, also decide whether a hosted service or self-hosted software is appropriate before putting the workflow in place.

Step by step

Make a list of the awards titles that need to be completed. Keep movie and show titles distinguishable so each title can be tracked against the right part of the workflow.

Decide what watched means before checking titles off. For example, a movie can be marked watched after it has been viewed, while a show can require the relevant season or the whole series. Use one rule throughout the project.

Pick the place where the watched state will be recorded. If the source list already provides a suitable way to track completion, use that. Otherwise, keep a separate record that mirrors the awards list.

Check each title against the source list before marking it. This helps avoid marking a similarly named movie or show by mistake. Keep the award category or year beside the title if a title appears in more than one part of the project.

Mark a title only after it meets the chosen watched rule. Do not treat a title as watched merely because it has been added to a library, found in a list, or queued for later viewing.

Review the unfinished part of the list regularly. Separate titles that have not been watched from titles that still need to be identified or matched. This keeps the completion record focused on viewing rather than on list maintenance.

If the awards list is an IMDb list and the goal also includes getting its movies and shows into Radarr and Sonarr, paste the public IMDb list into Watcharr. It produces one Radarr link containing the movies and one Sonarr link containing the shows. ^[1]

Use the resulting links with the relevant library tools when needed. Each link acts like a small Radarr or Sonarr server, so Radarr checks it every 15 minutes and Sonarr every 5. ^[1]

Keep the watched record separate from the library import record. Watcharr's approved claims cover turning IMDb lists into Radarr and Sonarr links and keeping those links supplied with list data. They do not claim that Watcharr marks a title as watched. ^[1] ^[1]

When a title is finally watched, update the chosen completion record immediately. This avoids having to reconstruct the watched history later.

Tools that can do it

A manual checklist can track the watched state directly. Use one row or line for each award title and change its state only when the chosen watched rule has been met.

A spreadsheet can provide a separate place for the title, award, year, watched state, and any notes needed to identify the entry. This approach keeps the completion record independent from any movie or show library.

An existing list service can be used when its own watched-state features match the workflow. Before choosing one, check how it records watched titles, whether it handles both movies and shows, and whether its list source matches the awards lists being tracked.

It accepts public IMDb watchlists and lists from the desktop site, phone site, and IMDb's other-language pages. ^[1] It can turn one public IMDb list into separate Radarr and Sonarr links for movies and shows. ^[1]

Watcharr also has a bookmark that can add the list inside Radarr or Sonarr using that app's API key without sending the key anywhere else. ^[1] If a show cannot be matched to a TheTVDB id, Watcharr leaves it out and tells you which shows were skipped. ^[1]

For signed-in users, Watcharr can combine several IMDb lists into one Radarr link and one Sonarr link for the household, with a title appearing on two lists added only once. ^[1] If Watcharr cannot read the list, the links still provide the last list it read successfully. ^[1]

The hosted version needs nothing to install and no account. ^[1] For self-hosting, Watcharr runs as one Cloudflare app with a Cloudflare database, plus a GitHub job that reads IMDb. ^[1] Its code is available to read under the PolyForm Noncommercial 1.0.0 licence, while older versions remain under MIT. ^[1] Commercial use is not licensed, and no commercial licence is for sale. ^[1]

Common mistakes to avoid

Avoid treating a title as watched simply because it appears on an awards list. The list records what needs to be completed, while the watched record should reflect what has actually been viewed.

Avoid mixing award categories or years without keeping enough context to identify each title. A title can appear in more than one awards context, so the completion record should preserve the context needed to check it later.

Avoid treating library delivery as the same thing as watched status. Watcharr can provide Radarr and Sonarr links from an IMDb list, but the approved claims do not say that those links mark titles as watched. ^[1]

Avoid assuming every show from an IMDb list will appear in the Sonarr link. Watcharr leaves out shows it cannot match to a TheTVDB id and tells you which ones were skipped. ^[1]

Before choosing a tool, check its watched-state rules, supported list sources, handling of movies and shows, and any account or hosting requirements. For Watcharr, also check the licensing terms if the intended use is commercial. ^[1]

Frequently asked questions

Can Watcharr mark awards lists as watched?

Watcharr's approved claims describe turning a public IMDb list into Radarr and Sonarr links rather than marking titles as watched. ^[1] A separate watched record is therefore needed for the completionist workflow. Watcharr can still help supply the movie and show titles to Radarr and Sonarr when an IMDb list is being used as the source. ^[1]

Can Watcharr use a public IMDb awards list?

Watcharr accepts any public IMDb watchlist or list from the desktop site, the phone site or IMDb's other-language pages. ^[1] From one public IMDb list, it provides one Radarr link for movies and one Sonarr link for shows. ^[1] The watched state still needs to be tracked separately.

Can Watcharr combine several IMDb awards lists?

Signed-in Watcharr users can combine several IMDb lists into one Radarr link and one Sonarr link for the whole household. ^[1] A title that appears on two lists is added only once. ^[1] This can reduce duplicate library entries when several awards lists are being used as sources, while the watched record remains a separate part of the workflow.

What happens when Watcharr cannot match an awards show?

Watcharr looks up TheTVDB ids. ^[1] Shows it cannot match are left out, and Watcharr tells you which ones were skipped. ^[1] Check the skipped titles against the awards completion record so an unmatched show is not mistaken for a title that has already been watched.

What should be checked before choosing a tool for awards lists?

Check whether the tool records watched status directly, how it handles both movies and shows, which list sources it accepts, and how it handles titles that cannot be matched. For Watcharr, also check the hosting and licensing terms. Its hosted version needs nothing to install and no account. ^[1] Commercial use is not licensed. ^[1]

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)