A quick guide to the DIRECTV Series Manager

Since the 5-tuner Genie came on the scene ten years ago, most of us really don’t have to worry about missed recordings due to conflicts. It’s pretty rare we’ll be recording seven things at the same time. But it does happen, and DIRECTV has a menu called “Series Manager” which allows you to decide which things record if it turns out you’re trying to record six at the same time (or if you’re watching so much live TV that there’s a problem.)

If you have a Genie system

Most folks with DVRs do have Genies at this point. If the menus below look familiar to you, you have a Genie system too. If they don’t, scroll down a bit to see instructions for older devices.

To get to the Series Manager, press LIST. Then, arrow up until Recording Manager is highlighted. Press SELECT. Yes, DIRECTV’s menus can be pretty comprehensive, I can tell you’re thinking that right now.

Arrow down to Series Manager and press SELECT.

Once you finally get there you’ll see a screen something like the one above that lists the shows you have set up for “series links.” This is DIRECTV’s term for shows that you want to record week after week. If you have a Genie, you can choose 100 series to record… this is pretty much enough for most people but if you need more than that you’ll need to go to this screen now and again to prune some of the old ones out.

Use the arrows to get to the series you want to delete. Press the RECORD button to delete something.

Navigation

Press the right arrow to highlight the arrows instead of highlighting the series. Then you can use the up and down arrows to scroll through the list. This is how you find the series you want to move. You can also use Channel Up and Channel Down to go down the list five items at a time.

When you’re done, press EXIT to go back to live TV.

Instructions for older DVRs

There are still folks out there with the older generation DVRs. You’ll have to do a bit more pruning with these devices since they only support 50 series links and can only record two things at a time.


To get to the Series Manager, press MENU then go to Recordings then Manage Recordings. Arrow down to Series Manager and press SELECT.


Once you finally get there you’ll see a screen something like the one above that lists the shows you have set up for “series links.” This is DIRECTV’s term for shows that you want to record week after week. With older devices you’re limited to 50 series links.

Navigation


Press the right arrow to highlight the arrows instead of highlighting the series. Then you can use the up and down arrows to scroll through the list. This is how you find the series you want to move. You can also use Channel Up and Channel Down to go down the list five items at a time.

When you’re done, press EXIT to go back to live TV.

Why do you want to do this?

The point here is to tell your DVR what to record. Items that are higher on the list will record first and lower items will record if there is a free tuner to record on. In other words, if you have six shows that air Monday at 8:00pm, and they are in positions 1,3,6,9,12 and 19 on this list, it will not record the item in position 19.

A bit of strategy

If you’re a bit of an organizational freak, you might want to have a strategy for what records. Here’s a bit of the strategy I use.

  1. Top of the list is reserved for programs that would cause chaos in my house if they were missed.
  2. After that I choose local programs that aren’t available on demand.
  3. Then, items that air only once.
  4. After that… it’s basically stuff like HBO shows that air multiple times but I do want to see them within a day or two of air.
  5. Finally, the bottom of the list is stuff I really don’t care about, infotainment shows and stuff I’ll watch if nothing else is on.

You may think I’ve put way too much effort into thinking about this and you’re probably right. But maybe it’s just a way for you to help organize your thoughts so you can never miss a show you want to see!

Ready to upgrade?

If you’re ready to upgrade your DIRECTV system, call Solid Signal! We have experts on the line who can help you decide what to do next. We are DIRECTV dealers of the year and we’re here to help! Call 888-233-7563 during East Coast business hours. If it’s after hours, fill out the form below. We’ll get back to you, usually within one business day.

About the Author

Stuart Sweet
Stuart Sweet is the editor-in-chief of The Solid Signal Blog and a "master plumber" at Signal Group, LLC. He is the author of over 10,000 articles and longform tutorials including many posted here. Reach him by clicking on "Contact the Editor" at the bottom of this page.