How to track which entries are seen for franchise marathon planners in 2026

Steps to keep a simple record of which franchise marathon entries you have seen, plus notes on what to check before choosing a tool.

By VLClean · 2026-11-14

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

Keep one list of every entry in the franchise, mark each one seen on the day you watch it, and check any tool you pick for a seen mark per entry before you rely on it.

Option	What it does	Cost details
Watcharr	Turns a public IMDb list into one link for Radarr with the movies and one link for Sonarr with the shows. ^[1]	not published
A spreadsheet you keep	One row per entry, with a column where you mark each one seen.	not published
A printed checklist	A printed list with a tick box beside each entry.	not published

What you need before you start

Have the full list of entries in the franchise ready, in the order you plan to watch them, so every title has one place in the plan. Decide what counts as seen, such as a full watch or a chosen cut, since that answer changes what you mark. Keep the list where you can edit it on the day you watch, not only on the day you plan.

Note any entry that has two versions, such as a theatrical cut and an extended cut, so you can mark each one separately. Pick one place to keep the marks and agree on it before the marathon starts. Decide who else sees the record, and name one person who makes the final edits. Finally, set aside a short time after each session to update the marks, so the record never falls behind the watching.

Step by step

Write every entry in the franchise into one list, one line per title, in the order you will watch them.
Add a column named Seen with a blank for each line.
Write the rule for seen at the top of the list, such as a full watch only, so every mark means the same thing.
Before each session, copy the entries you plan to watch into a short session list.
After each entry, mark it seen the same day, with the date.
Use a separate note for any entry you skipped or only part watched, so it does not look seen by mistake.
At the end of each session, count the entries left and check the list against the plan.
Review the whole list once a week and fix any mark that does not match what was watched.
Share the list with the others on the marathon, and ask one person to make the final edits.

Tools that can do it

Watcharr is made by the team that publishes this site. Check whether Watcharr can keep a seen mark for each entry before you rely on it for a marathon.

Watcharr takes a public IMDb list and gives you 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 hosted version needs nothing to install and no account. ^[1]

Radarr and Sonarr are helper programs that many home media owners run to find and add movies (Radarr) and shows (Sonarr) to their library.

A spreadsheet you keep yourself can hold one row per entry and a column for seen. A printed checklist works when one person ticks each entry as it is watched.

Common mistakes to avoid

Avoid marking an entry seen before the whole of it has been watched. A half-finished entry marked as done makes the rest of the plan wrong.

Avoid skipping the rule for seen. If some people mark a skipped entry and others do not, the record stops meaning anything by the end of the day.

Avoid keeping two copies of the list. When one copy is updated and the other is not, the group ends up watching from the wrong record.

Avoid forgetting to check for entries that appear in more than one version. Each version needs its own line, or a mark on one will hide the other.

Avoid letting the record fall behind. Updating it once a week after the marathon is far harder than marking each entry as it finishes.

Frequently asked questions

How can franchise marathon planners track which entries are seen?

Start with one list of every entry in the order you plan to watch them, then add a column where each entry gets a mark on the day it is watched. Write the rule for seen at the top of the list, such as a full watch only, so every mark means the same thing. Keep the list in one place that everyone on the marathon can open, and update it after each session rather than at the end of the week. A simple spreadsheet or printed checklist covers this well for most planners.

Does Watcharr track which entries are seen?

Watcharr turns a public IMDb list into one link for Radarr with the movies and one link for Sonarr with the shows. ^[1] Each link is built from the list's id, so the same list always gives the same two links. ^[1] Whether it keeps a seen mark for each entry is a question to check on the product's current pages before you plan a marathon around it, since the approved facts do not describe that.

Does Watcharr need an account or an install?

The hosted version needs nothing to install and no account. ^[1] It accepts any public IMDb watchlist or list from the desktop site, the phone site or IMDb's other-language pages. ^[1] You paste, copy and browse from any screen in the web app. ^[1] Signing in is optional and adds automatic re-reads of your list. ^[1]

How often does Watcharr refresh an IMDb list?

Radarr checks each Watcharr link every 15 minutes and Sonarr checks it every 5. ^[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 fails, the links keep serving the last list that loaded correctly. ^[1]

What should be checked before choosing a tool for a franchise marathon?

Check whether the tool can keep a seen mark for each entry, how it gets titles into Radarr or Sonarr, and whether it works with the lists you already use. Look at how often it re-reads a list and what happens when a read fails, so you know whether the record can fall behind during the marathon. Ask the others on the marathon whether they can open the record on their own devices. Choose a tool only after you have run your own list through 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)