How to plan which shows to start each season for TV planners in 2026

Start by listing the shows you are considering for next season and noting each one's premiere date, then pick the ones to start.

By VLClean · 2026-11-13

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

TV season planners can set up a show planning process by choosing where to keep show ideas, choosing a planning method, and keeping track of show start dates.

Option	Planning method	Cost details
Watcharr	You paste one public IMDb list and get one link for Radarr with the movies and one for Sonarr with the shows. ^[1]	not published
Show request form	People submit show titles through the chosen form.	not published
Shared show list	People add show ideas to the chosen shared list.	not published

What you need before you start

Make sure your home media server already has space for upcoming television releases, and decide which family members or household viewers should participate in planning each season.

Prepare the categories or types of content that fit your household, so everyone knows what kinds of shows fit the schedule. Keep the planning rules simple, such as whether household members can add any title or only specific genres of television shows.

Radarr and Sonarr are free helper programs that many media server owners run to find and add movies (Radarr) and shows (Sonarr) to their library. Have them ready if they are part of the way planned titles are automatically added to the library. Decide who will review planned shows before anything is added to the queue.

Choose where household members will manage show lists. The choice can be a web tool, a form, or another method that gives planners a clear place to collect upcoming titles.

Step by step

Pick one place where household planners will organize upcoming shows, such as a dedicated list tool or a shared note, and tell everyone to use only that place.

Write down who reviews each show addition and whether a title needs approval before it is added to the household viewing schedule.

Write a few short rules for household planners that state which genres are accepted, how many shows to start per season, and how household members will know when a show begins airing.

Share the guidelines and list location with everyone involved in season planning, along with clear steps on how to look up upcoming show titles and add them to the shared list.

Check the premiere date for each planned show, and check separately that your server has enough free storage for the upcoming season.

Choose viewing start dates that spread shows across the calendar, so new series do not all begin in the same week.

Review new television show entries on a set day each week, approving the series you want to watch and removing those that do not fit the household schedule.

Check in with household planners after the first week to see what steps felt unclear, and adjust your guidelines to fix those points.

Tools that can do it

Watcharr is made by the team that publishes VLClean. The hosted version needs nothing to install and no account. ^[1] You paste, copy and browse from any screen in the web app; the one-click sticker shows on bigger screens. ^[1]

You paste one public IMDb list and get one link for Radarr with the movies and one for Sonarr with the shows. ^[1] It accepts any public IMDb watchlist or list from the desktop site, the phone site or IMDb's other-language pages. ^[1] The links are built from the IMDb list's id, so the same list always gives the same two links. ^[1] Each link acts like a small Radarr or Sonarr server, so Radarr checks it every 15 minutes and Sonarr every 5. ^[1] A bookmark you click inside Radarr or Sonarr adds the list for you, using that app's API key without sending it anywhere else. ^[1]

It looks up TheTVDB ids through TVMaze and TMDB, leaves out shows it can't match, and tells you which ones it skipped. ^[1] The page shows the list's covers in a row, and clicking a cover shows details from TMDB. ^[1] If you sign in, it re-reads your list about every 15 minutes and warns you when a list fails three reads in a row. ^[1] Signed-in users 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]

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; older versions remain under MIT. ^[1] Commercial use is not licensed, and no commercial licence is for sale. ^[1]

Before choosing a tool, check how it handles title searches, approvals, updates, and how planned shows get added to your library.

Common mistakes to avoid

Avoid sharing a planning method without explaining the rules. Household members need to know what types of shows can be planned and who decides what gets added.

Avoid choosing a tool without checking how it fits the current way television shows are added to your media library. The planning process should be clear for both the people picking shows and the person managing the server.

Avoid forgetting to review lists after setup. A show list can become harder to manage if old or unwanted show entries are left without attention.

Avoid skipping account and privacy checks. Review what information a tool asks for and what access it uses before sharing it with other household members.

Frequently asked questions

How can TV season planners organize upcoming show releases?

TV season planners can choose a list method, decide who can submit upcoming series, and set rules for what gets added. Start by picking one list for next season's shows and writing down who approves each addition.

Can Watcharr work with Radarr and Sonarr for TV season planning?

Check how each list tool handles Radarr and Sonarr before choosing one. You paste one public IMDb list into Watcharr and get 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. ^[1]

Does Watcharr require an account or installation for planners?

The hosted version of Watcharr needs nothing to install and no account. ^[1] You paste, copy and browse from any screen in the web app, and the one-click sticker shows on bigger screens. ^[1] A bookmark clicked inside Radarr or Sonarr adds the list using that app's API key without sending it anywhere else. ^[1]

How does Watcharr match television show details for Sonarr?

It looks up TheTVDB ids through TVMaze and TMDB, leaves out shows it can't match, and tells you which ones it skipped. ^[1] The page displays list covers in a row, and clicking a cover shows details from TMDB. ^[1]

What should be checked before choosing a show list tool for TV season planning?

Check how a tool handles show matching, updates, list sharing, and the process for moving planned series into Sonarr. Signed-in Watcharr users can combine several IMDb lists into one Radarr link and one Sonarr link for the whole household, and a title on two lists is added only once. ^[1] Compare those details with how your media server is managed before choosing a planning method.

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)