Finding Out and Keeping Track

[jo]

How do you find out about shows that might interest you? Do you have media that you check regularly (e.g. entertainment-type websites, online or actual magazines)? Is it mostly word of mouth/social media? Promos/trailers on or emails from streaming services about upcoming new shows? Some other means entirely or combinations of the above?

How do you keep track of, or do you keep track of, shows of potential interest, particularly those that you know are coming, but are still months away, or don't have a specific release date, or maybe only a vague release date (e.g. sometime in 2024)?

Comments

[eve_n_furter]

I follow a few movie and series discussion forums, etc., and when I find something interesting I add the title to my "to watch" Keep note. That way I always have something to look into, independent of the viewing platform. It's especially nice when it's something old or rare, that's hard to keep track of if you use the different services' built-in queue systems.

[makamu]

Like eve_n_further, I get most of my recs from discussion forums and online friends. I also make a habit of browsing critics' best of lists for a few years back. That way, I can make sure that I've seen things that have withstood the test of the first hype as well.

[8hyenas]

I'm really enjoying an app called "next episode" (I think it also has a web version). You basically put in all the shows you've seen or are currently following and it tracks them for you. It also lets you search backwards from your favorite shows by creator and has a recommendation area.
Then it has a "most popular aired" "most popular upcoming" that I find helpful for finding new shows. It has blurbs too! So you can pretty much do everything in the app without leaving to do more research.

[eve_n_furter]

Does the app have the series already cataloged, or do you add them from scratch?

[8hyenas]

So far they have everything. I do not watch a lot of Asian shows so I’m not sure about that but there is an “email me to add” option.

[jo]

I had tried some app a few years back, can't recall what it was called. It really didn't work very well if the user wasn't in the US.

[8hyenas]

https://next-episode.net/about-us/

Here’s some info about how the app functions. I don’t think the app itself is based in the US but the databases it draws from might be. Anyway you could search the website since it’s the same as the app to see if it works for you or nah

[feurioo]

I follow new streaming releases via mobile app. For everything else, I've got Tumblr peeps and niche-interest blogs that recommend shows to me. Another thing: I really like to browse around and look at lists of new titles or similar titles.

I think what genuinely helps is religiously checking my mobile app. That way, I discovered I'm A Virgo, The Horror of Dolores Roach, and Swarm on Prime alone. All those shows seem to have been ignored by a lot of people. I also wouldn't have known that the second season of Somebody Somewhere had finally dropped here in Germany. (The app is called JustWatch. Not sure if it's available in English.)

[jo]

It used to be really easy to keep on top of new shows pre-internet and streaming. The US/Canadian networks had The Fall Season when all new shows started and returning shows resumed. You could read previews of new shows in things like TV Guide. Ah, the good old days!

I mostly rely on The Guardian's TV section to learn about new shows, I guess. They used to have a monthly feature, What's streaming this month, listing new shows/films on the main streaming services (and some only available in the UK), but they've stopped that. Now they do a "Seven best shows to stream this week" each week. And every day they do a "What's on tonight" (in the UK, obviously) and that's how I find out about a lot of shows. I also periodically check various sites like Rotten Tomatoes, Deadline, etc. for new show release dates. Sometimes someone at work might mention something they watched, but honestly, that's pretty rare. Or here on DW, someone on my Friends list might mention something they've watched and enjoyed. One of my sisters often recommends shows to me.

ETA: Oh yeah, and Netflix regularly emails me about shows coming soon to Netflix.

I have a sticky post on my DW where I keep track of upcoming release dates of shows that I might be interested in.

[yourlibrarian]

The question for our TV watching times alright. I generally find out about new shows from fandom osmosis -- someone whose blog or a community I follow will share news about upcoming shows or start dates for things I've already been following. I very rarely look anything up.

As for finding shows that will interest me, it hasn't been a problem. Whenever we sign up to a new streamer I'll usually go through their original content and stick it on a watchlist, then work my way through it until we unsubscribe and repeat with the next one. Some of them have even saved my watchlist so that the next time I subscribe I just pick up where I left off.

[shadowkat]

Dreamwidth correspondence list - tends to tell me about them. In particular one person who posts what is coming, and reviews. Also, there's lists of what is coming on Netflix, etc posted to the Microsoft Edge Browser at work. And word of mouth.

[olivermoss]

Honestly? I don't have a system. I look for more shows to watch sometimes, but I don't have a good source. I tend to check out anything with the right sort of fandom buzz. I check out Netflix new releases if they seem interesting. That is about it

[violateraindrop]

I find new shows through ONTD on LJ, the people I follow on DW and tumblr, and check TVLine.

I keep track via TVmaze. I used to have an app, but a website just works better for me.