Episodes, a new iPhone app by developers Nial Giacomelli and Benjamin Gordon, provides a great-looking solution to track your favorite TV shows with air dates and world premieres, and also offers a list of shows you might be interested in.
Unlike many similar apps in the App Store that bring lots of features to the TV show-tracking software scene, Episodes is focused on three key aspects: the shows you watch, recommendations and search. As you open the app for the first time, you’ll be asked to search for some TV shows you’re currently watching. Head over the Search tab, type and wait for the results to kick in. The results are usually fairly accurate and neatly organized, although I noticed some weird duplicate results. The app is based on the TVDB online database. Each show comes with a summary of the upcoming episode, a screencap, average rating and a button to switch to the full list of episodes.
The Watchlist tab provides a quick glimpse at all the shows you’re watching, sorted by most recent airing date. The UI is delicious, dark and elegant. I like it. Last, the Recommended tab aggregates TV shows the online database thinks you might like, although I’m not sure “Yo Gabba Gabba” is really within my range of tastes.
All in all, Episodes looks beautiful but it’s simple. Perhaps too much straightforward for those used to manage their TV schedule with more options and social features. Still, it’s a $0.99 purchase in the App Store, so you should take it for a spin.
