How roommates pool picks for a shared watchlist in 2026

Pool picks from housemates into one shared watchlist. Steps, what to prepare, and how Watcharr turns one public IMDb list into Radarr and Sonarr links.

By VLClean · 2026-11-13

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

Ask each housemate to keep one IMDb list of picks, then combine them into one list that one person reviews. For signed-in users, Watcharr can combine several IMDb lists into a single Radarr link and a single Sonarr link for the household, and a title on two lists is added only once. ^[1]

Option	What it does	Setup
Watcharr	You paste one public IMDb list and get one link for Radarr with the movies and one for Sonarr with the shows. ^[1]	The hosted version needs nothing to install and no account. ^[1]
Other tools (check each one's page)	Other tools, what it does: not published	Other tools, setup: not published

What you need before you start

Roommates need one place where picks gather and one person who decides what gets added. Each housemate should have a list of picks on IMDb, the movie and show site, so that a tool can read it. Check that every list is set to public before you start.

Agree on what counts as a pick. Decide whether anyone can add a title or only certain housemates, and whether the house is picking for movie nights, show nights, or both.

If the house already uses Radarr or Sonarr, decide who will look after that part of the process. Decide who checks the combined list each week and who removes titles that nobody plans to watch.

Step by step

Pick one shared place where housemates will send their picks, such as a group message thread, and tell everyone to use only that place.
Ask each housemate to make one public IMDb list for their picks, so the list can be read by a tool.
Choose one person, or one shared list, to collect the picks and decide what goes into the library.
Write a short note for the house that says who can add picks, what kinds of titles are accepted, and how everyone will hear that a title was added.
Look for titles that appear on more than one list, so the same movie or show is not chased twice.
Once a week, look over the combined list, approve the picks you want, and remove the ones nobody will watch.
After the first few weeks, ask housemates what confused them, and edit the note to fix those points.

Tools that can do it

Watcharr is one option for pooling picks. You paste one public IMDb list and get one link for Radarr with the movies and one for Sonarr with the shows. ^[1] Radarr checks the link every 15 minutes and Sonarr checks it every 5, so the movies and shows arrive on their own schedule. ^[1] Watcharr accepts any public IMDb watchlist or list from the desktop site, the phone site or IMDb's other-language pages. ^[1]

For a household, the signed-in option matters most. 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 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]

A bookmark you click inside Radarr or Sonarr adds the list for you. ^[1] It uses that app's API key, which it does not send anywhere else. ^[1] The hosted version needs nothing to install and no account. ^[1]

No other tool is named here because no source facts about other tools were provided. Before choosing any other tool, check how it handles public lists, household sharing, duplicate titles, and shows it cannot match.

Common mistakes to avoid

Avoid sharing picks without rules. Housemates need to know what kinds of titles count and who decides what gets added.

Avoid leaving a list private. Watcharr accepts public IMDb lists, so check that each housemate has made theirs public before you start. ^[1]

Avoid forgetting to review the combined list. Picks left unreviewed can pile up and make the library harder to manage.

Avoid assuming every show will be added. Shows that cannot be matched are left out, and Watcharr tells you which ones it skipped, so check that report. ^[1]

Frequently asked questions

How can roommates pool picks from housemates into one watchlist?

Start by having each housemate keep one public IMDb list of picks, so each list can be read. Then choose one person, or one shared list, to collect the titles and decide what gets added. For signed-in users, Watcharr can combine several IMDb lists into one Radarr link and one Sonarr link for the household. ^[1]

Does Watcharr need an account to combine housemates' lists?

The hosted version needs nothing to install and no account. ^[1] Combining several IMDb lists into one Radarr link and one Sonarr link for the household is available to signed-in users. ^[1] Signing in also lets the list re-read itself about every 15 minutes, and it warns you when a list fails three reads in a row. ^[1]

Will a movie that two housemates picked be added twice in Watcharr?

No. A title that is on two lists is added only once when the lists are combined for the household. ^[1] The links are built from each IMDb list's id, so the same list always gives the same two links, and Radarr and Sonarr keep pointing at the same place. ^[1]

What happens to the roommate list when IMDb cannot be read?

If a read of the list fails, the links keep serving the last list that loaded correctly. ^[1] Signed-in users also get a warning when a list fails three reads in a row. ^[1] Check that each list is public before you rely on it, because Watcharr accepts public IMDb lists. ^[1]

Can Watcharr add shows that Sonarr does not recognize?

Watcharr looks up the show ids Sonarr needs and leaves out shows it cannot match. ^[1] It tells you which shows it skipped, so check that list before assuming a show will show up in Sonarr. Any skipped show can then be added by hand in Sonarr if the house still wants it.

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)