How to track upcoming seasons and premieres for show release planners in 2026

Show release planners can track upcoming seasons and premieres by keeping a release list and letting tracking tools pull from it.

By VLClean · 2026-11-14

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

Show release planners can track upcoming seasons and premieres by preparing a list of shows, choosing a tracking tool, and keeping release dates current.

Option	How it tracks releases	Cost details
Watcharr	Paste one public IMDb list and get one link for Radarr with the movies and one for Sonarr with the shows. ^[1]	not published
Shared release sheet	People hold show and premiere dates in one shared sheet that someone updates.	not published
Release calendar	Premiere dates sit on a shared calendar that everyone reads.	not published

What you need before you start

Show release planners track upcoming seasons and premieres by keeping one place where release dates live, so every show has a row or entry someone can update. Start with a list of the shows whose seasons and premieres matter, and write each show's expected release window or premiere date beside it.

Decide what counts as worth tracking, such as a new season, a first episode or a return that comes after a break. Keep a single record of those dates so no two people hold different copies. Pick one person who owns the list and updates it when a date shifts, because premiere dates change and a stale date misleads everyone.

Radarr and Sonarr are free helper programs that handle movies (Radarr) and shows (Sonarr) and can pull release details from other sources. Have them ready if the tracking method for shows depends on them. Know which of the shows in the list already have a release date and which are still unannounced, so the list does not promise a date no source has given.

Step by step

Build the working list of shows whose upcoming seasons and premieres you want to follow, one entry per show, with a note of what is expected.

Choose a single tool or method that holds the list, such as a shared sheet, a calendar or a list-based tool, and tell everyone involved to update only that one place.

Add the known release dates from the show sources you already trust, and mark any show whose date is not yet announced so nobody reads the blank as a finished date.

Pick one person who checks dates on a regular day each week, edits anything that moved, and removes shows that already aired.

Decide how the list feeds the rest of the setup, such as whether a tracking tool passes the shows to Radarr or Sonarr so those programs look for them.

Review the list a few weeks out, confirm the nearest premieres, and close the loop with whoever else reads the list so everyone works from the same dates.

After a premiere passes, mark it done and add the next announced release, so the list always points at what is coming and never at what already aired.

Tools that can do it

Watcharr is made by the team that publishes this site. It lets you paste one public IMDb list 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] Radarr and Sonarr are the free programs that handle movies and shows. 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]

Watcharr 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] 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, each opening TMDB's plot, genres, rating, backdrop and trailer. ^[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, 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] You paste, copy and browse from any screen in the web app; the one-click sticker shows on bigger screens. ^[1] The hosted version needs nothing to install and no account. ^[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]

No other tool is named here because no source facts about other tools were provided. Before choosing a method, check how it holds release dates, how it updates them, and whether it can pass the shows on to Radarr or Sonarr for tracking.

Common mistakes to avoid

Avoid keeping release dates in more than one place. When two copies of the list exist, one goes stale and nobody knows which shows have moved.

Avoid trusting a premiere date without checking the source that announced it. A date copied from a rumor page can be wrong, and the whole list rests on dates being right.

Avoid forgetting the person who updates the list. Without a clear owner, a shifted date never gets corrected and the plan falls behind real announcements.

Avoid leaving aired shows in the list. Old entries crowd out the next premiere, so mark them done and keep the list pointed at what is coming.

Avoid choosing a tracking method without checking how it moves shows into the rest of the setup, such as whether it can hand the list to Radarr or Sonarr. Compare what a tool does with how the shows are actually tracked before relying on it.

Frequently asked questions

How can show release planners track upcoming seasons and premieres?

A show release planner can track upcoming seasons and premieres by keeping one list of shows, writing each show's expected release window beside it, and choosing a single method that holds those dates. The important parts are giving every show one row or entry, deciding who updates the dates, and checking announcements so the list never promises a date no source has given.

Does Watcharr work with Radarr and Sonarr?

Watcharr turns a public IMDb list into one link for Radarr with the movies and one for Sonarr with the shows. ^[1] Radarr and Sonarr are the free programs that handle movies and shows. Each link acts like a small Radarr or Sonarr server, so Radarr checks it every 15 minutes and Sonarr every 5. ^[1]

Does Watcharr need anything installed or an account?

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; the one-click sticker shows on bigger screens. ^[1] Signed-in users can combine several IMDb lists into one Radarr link and one Sonarr link, and a title that is on two lists is added only once. ^[1]

How do shows get into the tracking list with Watcharr?

The shows come from a public IMDb list or watchlist, which Watcharr accepts 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 can't match, and tells you which ones it skipped. ^[1]

What should be checked before choosing a tracking method for show releases?

Check how a method holds release dates, how it stays current, and whether it can pass the shows on to Radarr or Sonarr. Compare those details with how the shows are tracked before choosing one. When a method has no stated price, check its site for costs, because a tool that seems free may charge later.

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)