#rewatch time

This timeline assumes that all episodes (besides flashbacks) happen in chronological order by air date. I don't think that needs to be everyone's assumption if it's inconvenient to their headcanon. This timeline assumes that characters can say things that are untrue or mistaken, and leans that direction if a character says something offhand that contradicts more neutral evidence.

I do recognize and affirm that none of the writers were probably bothering themselves about any of this while creating the show, nor should they have. This is just me being a dweeb, because doing weird shit is my love language.

My first assertion is that Series 1 starts in 2017, due to one fairly solid and one fairly spurious observation.

The fairly solid observation is that an entire year passes between S1 E2 and S1 E4: -At the end of S1 E2 (Gorilla War) Alison states that it is June. -S2 E3 (Happy Death Day) includes Pat's death day, which is October. -S2 E4 (Free Pass) Happens on Derby Day, which falls around early June again. The fairly spurious observation is that S1 E5 then involves a total lunar eclipse visible in the London area. It's spurious because there's no reason a writer can't just summon a lunar eclipse for plot reasons if they feel like it, but I'm being a dweeb, so, -the only lunar eclipse that fits that description happened on July 27 2018. -It also happens to fit the time The Captain says the eclipse will start, and it being warm enough in the evening for everyone to sit comfortably outside. -It also fits that in the next episode S1 E6 (Getting Out) the Coopers are beset by tons of green gooseberries, which imply it is July/August. -The only other lunar eclipse that could fit happened in July 2019 but it was only a partial eclipse, and was preceded in January 2019 by a total eclipse that would presumably have caused the same ritual, whereas the eclipse of July 2018 was the first total eclipse since 2015. I still admit it's spurious and will not fight you.

S1 E6 begins an historical site excavation that lasts until S2 E2 (About last night) I have no rational or source basis to guess how much time that implies. To the degree that it is treated like a huge hassle that would discourage investment, it feels safe to assume at least a few months. If anyone has any insights/expertise PLEASE DO SHARE. I'm always happy to get UM ACTUALLY'd in a good cause.

This area is probably the shakiest because there are no definite dates present in the text until S2 E7 (Ghost of Christmas) which is obviously December 24/25 of (I would argue) 2019 (more on that in a sec). The only other indicator of time continuity in S2 is the implication that S2 E3 (Redding Weddy) to S2 E6 (Perfect Day) encompass a fairly compact span of time preparing for a "shotgun wedding j/k" that the couple were very eager to move forward on, but long enough after S2 E2 (About Last Night) that trade gossip of Alison throwing up on Belle-of-Belle's-Weddings has gotten around. The wedding falls on the day of a freak snowstorm, which I gather from English meteorology implies November/December (Please advise if this is one of those things I'm getting wrong by not being British) I place the first Christmas special as 2019 because it precedes S3 E5 (Something to Share) that plants itself firmly on June 29th 2020 both by the date of Kitty's birthday and the exact number of days Julian says it has been since he's died and "been sober". Going forward, it seems safe to assume that each Christmas special is set on the following Christmas. [my 2017 start does mean there are two unrecorded Christmases with Mike's family between when the Coopers moved into Button House and the first Christmas special, but I find that entirely plausible because December 2017 the house was in no shape to host anything, and December 2018 it would have been uncertain if they were still hosting a plague-pit excavation.] The next hard date I'm willing to stand behind is S4 E4 (Gone Gone) in which Mary ascends. The episode of Loose Women that Fanny calls Mary to watch, having forgotten that she's gone, is a promo for an actual episode of the show (Can I Wear Trainers To My Own Wedding?) that aired October 1 2021. Then S5 E1 (Fools) puts us at April 1 2022, and we find out Alison is pregnant. We know Mia is born October 31st 2022, meaning she was likely conceived in late February, which scans with Alison first noticing symptoms in early April.

We know that S5 E2 (Home) falls on May 12 2022 because that's stated as the poetry contest deadline.

S5 E3 (Pineapple Day) is set sometime after May 12 2022, and when Barclay asks how long it's been since the Coopers moved in, Alison says "Five years", which squares with setting S1 E2 (Gorilla War) in June 2017

S5 E5 (Carpe Diem) is stated by Robin to be "The 25th" and the Annie-versary of Annie ascending. I would argue that it is August 25th based on the plot point of Alison feeling pressure to have fun before the baby comes, but still feeling physically able to do so. It's just a very first-pregnancy, early-third-trimester vibe, in my spurious opinion.

Which brings us to S5 E7, December 25th 2022, when the Coopers decide to sell and move away.