# How to monitor when show lists change for show release planners in 2026

Learn how show release planners can watch for changes to their show lists and keep release plans up to date.

By VLClean · 2026-10-25

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

Show release planners can monitor when show lists change by keeping a public list of shows, choosing a monitoring method, and reviewing it on a set schedule.

Option	Monitoring method	Cost details
Watcharr	Turns one public IMDb list of shows into one link Radarr checks every 15 minutes and one Sonarr checks every 5, so a changed list is caught there. ^[1]^[1]	not published
Manual review	Check the show list by hand on a set schedule and update the release plan from any change found.	not published
Shared calendar or reminder	Set a recurring reminder to re-read the show list and compare it with the release plan.	not published

What you need before you start

A show release planner keeps a list of the shows whose release dates matter, and the plan is only as current as that list. Start with one public list of shows that is the single place where a new title or a change gets entered. Keep that list on one service so there is one place to watch. Decide who may add or edit shows on the list, because an unmanaged list can drift from the release plan. Prepare the way a new show on the list is turned into a release plan entry. Radarr and Sonarr are free helper programs that many Plex owners run to find and add movies (Radarr) and shows (Sonarr) to their library. Have them ready if they are part of how a changed list becomes a watched or planned show. Choose how the list is checked, such as a tool that re-reads the list, a calendar reminder, or a manual review on a set day. Write down how often the list is checked and who sees a warning when a check fails.

Step by step

Choose one public list of shows as the single source that release plans are built from, and tell everyone to edit only that list.

Pick a monitoring method, such as a tool that re-reads the list, a shared calendar reminder, or a manual review on a fixed day of the week.

Decide what counts as a change to act on, such as a new show, a changed date, or a removed entry, so a change is not missed or over-handled.

Set the check schedule, and write down when each check happens and who sees the result.

When a change appears, update the release plan for that show and note the date it was caught, so later reviews can confirm nothing was skipped.

Set a way to be told when a check fails, so a broken list does not quietly go stale.

After a few weeks, compare the plan with the list and adjust the schedule or the method if changes were found late.

Tools that can do it

Watcharr is made by the team that publishes this site. Watcharr turns one public IMDb list of shows into two links, one link for Radarr with the movies and one for Sonarr with the shows. ^[1] Each link acts like a small Radarr or Sonarr server, so Radarr checks it every 15 minutes and Sonarr every 5, and a changed list is caught there. ^[1] The links are built from the IMDb list's id, so the same list always gives the same two links. ^[1] Watcharr accepts any public IMDb watchlist or list from the desktop site, the phone site or IMDb's other-language pages. ^[1] It looks up TheTVDB ids through TVMaze and TMDB, leaves out shows it cannot match, and tells which ones were skipped. ^[1] The page shows the list's covers in a row, each opening TMDB's plot, genres, rating, backdrop and trailer. ^[1] A bookmark clicked inside Radarr or Sonarr adds the list for you, using that app's API key without sending it anywhere else. ^[1] If you sign in, Watcharr re-reads your list about every 15 minutes and warns you when a list fails three reads in a row. ^[1] If a read of the list fails, the links keep serving the last list that loaded correctly. ^[1]

No other tool is named here because no source facts about other tools were provided. Before choosing a monitoring method, check how it re-reads the list, how it reports a failed check, and how a changed list moves into the release plan.

Common mistakes to avoid

Avoid keeping the show list and the release plan in separate places that are not compared. A change to the list does nothing for the plan unless a check moves it across. Do not let the list or the plan go unchecked. Avoid choosing a monitoring method without checking how it reports a failed read, because a silent failure leaves the plan stale. Avoid editing a shared list carelessly, since an unmanaged list can carry changes that were never meant for the release plan. Avoid skipping the review after a change is caught, because a list that is checked without acting on it stops protecting the release plan.

Frequently asked questions

How can show release planners monitor when show lists change?

A show release planner can keep one public list of shows, choose a monitoring method, and check it on a set schedule. The important parts are giving the list a single place to be edited and making sure a change is acted on in the release plan. Decide who edits the list and how a failed check is reported before relying on it.

Does Watcharr detect changes to a show list on its own?

Watcharr turns one public IMDb list into two links, one for Radarr and one for Sonarr. ^[1] Each link acts like a small Radarr or Sonarr server, so Radarr checks it every 15 minutes and Sonarr every 5, and a changed list is caught there. ^[1] If you sign in, Watcharr re-reads the list about every 15 minutes and warns you when a list fails three reads in a row. ^[1]

Does Watcharr require installing anything on the server?

Watcharr is made by the team that publishes this site. The hosted version needs nothing to install and no account. ^[1] Watcharr runs as one Cloudflare app with a Cloudflare database, plus a GitHub job that reads IMDb. ^[1] The code is available to read under the PolyForm Noncommercial 1.0.0 licence, and older versions remain under MIT. ^[1]

Can several show lists be watched as one?

Signed-in users of Watcharr can combine several IMDb lists into one Radarr link and one Sonarr link for the whole household, and a title that is on two lists is added only once. ^[1] If a read of the list fails, the links keep serving the last list that loaded correctly. ^[1] This gives one place to watch even when several lists feed the release plan.

What should be checked before choosing a way to monitor show lists?

Check how a monitoring method re-reads the show list, how it reports a failed read, and how a changed list moves into the release plan. No source facts were provided about other tools, so there is no detail to compare here. ^[1] Commercial use of Watcharr is not licensed and no commercial licence is for sale, so check that before a commercial plan.

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)