TV & Film Watchlist

A Printable TV and Film Watchlist You Can Actually Keep

Everyone has a mental list of shows and films they keep meaning to watch. Most of the list evaporates the moment you open a streaming app and get hit with the home screen. This printable watchlist gives you a tidy paper log — title, type (TV or film), genre, watched tick box, a five-star rating, and a notes column — so recommendations from friends actually survive long enough to be watched.

Download the PDF in A4 or US Letter, fit 12 to 25 rows on a page depending on how much note-room you want, and keep the sheet inside a journal, on the coffee table, or pinned next to the TV. It doubles as both the "to watch" list and the record of what you thought once you did.

Why a paper watchlist beats the app version

Streaming platforms each have their own "my list" and none of them talks to the others. A recommendation for a BBC drama, a Netflix comedy, and a Criterion film ends up in three separate places you never open together. A single paper sheet consolidates them.

The ratings column also delivers something apps rarely do — your own voice. "Friend said brilliant, I found it flat" is the note that saves you picking up their next recommendation expecting fireworks. Over a year, the log becomes a personal canon worth more than any aggregated review score.

What each column captures

• Title — the show or film name.
• Type — TV or film; handy for planning a weekend (30-minute episode vs two-hour film).
• Genre — drama, comedy, documentary, thriller — rough is fine.
• Watched — a tick box to mark completion.
• Rating — five stars, shade or cross as many as warranted.
• Notes — why you added it, who recommended it, your verdict afterwards.

Who this watchlist is for

Media consumers across multiple platforms

If your queue spans Netflix, BBC iPlayer, Apple TV, and a local independent cinema, paper is the one place all the entries coexist.

Couples choosing what to watch tonight

A single shared list avoids the "what do you feel like" standoff — pick from the pre-approved column.

Film-club members and book-to-film readers

A running log makes it easier to rank the year's favourites and see blind spots.

Parents filtering family viewing

Notes column captures age suitability and content warnings.

Film students and critics building a personal catalogue

Over time the notes column becomes a meaningful journal of taste and influence.

What you can customise

• Rows per page — 12 to 25.
• Default type — TV, film, or mixed.
• Title and subtitle — rename ("2026 films", "Comedy watchlist") as desired.
• Paper size — A4 or US Letter PDF.

Worked example

A 20-row mixed watchlist for the year starts with: row 1, "The Bear" TV, Comedy-drama, watched tick, 5 stars, "Sarah's recommendation — brilliant". Row 2, "Past Lives" Film, Drama, watched, 4 stars, "lovely, restrained". Row 3, "Succession S4" TV, Drama, watched, 5 stars, "heartbreaking ending". Row 4, "Oppenheimer" Film, Drama, not yet watched, unrated, "IMAX if possible". By mid-year, half the rows are ticked and the ratings column has become a tiny history of your viewing year.

Methodology

The PDF uses the shared branded template. A title strip at the top carries the list name and an optional subtitle like "2026" or "Film Club". Below sits a table with columns sized for each content type: title wide, type narrow (two-letter abbreviations fit), genre medium, watched narrow (single tick box), rating narrow (five small star outlines), notes wide. Row heights adapt to chosen row count.

Tips for keeping the list fresh

• Add titles as soon as you hear them — before the recommendation fades.
• Let the list go long. The point is a menu to pick from, not a to-do list to clear.
• Rate the moment you finish. Day-after ratings drift toward the mean.
• Review at year-end and carry unwatched titles to next year's sheet. Or do not — some do not deserve rescue.
• If a friend is asking what to watch, hand them the sheet. Conversation follows.

Designed for A4 and US Letter printing

Both paper sizes are supported. A4 fits slightly more notes per row; US Letter is marginally wider. Both print the six columns cleanly.

TV versus film — why the type column matters

Choosing what to watch is really a time-budgeting problem. Twenty minutes before bed calls for a half-hour comedy episode; a free Saturday night can handle a two-and-a-half-hour Scorsese. Mixing them on the same list without a type column means every browse starts with a mental sort. The tick box for type makes it a one-second scan instead. Most serious watchlisters also colour-code in pen — a highlighter stroke down the left margin for must-watch, a tick for watched, a cross for dropped partway. The table accommodates whatever scheme you add on top.

Related life-log planners

• Simple To-Do List — different content, similar tactile pleasure.
• Vision Board Grid — for visual year-ahead planning.
• SMART Goals Template — if "watch 52 films this year" is a goal.
• Planner Builder — build a custom weekend page that references the watchlist.