When Does “The Continental” (2023) Take Place?

“The Continental: From the World of John Wick” is a crime television show showran by Greg Coolidge with Kirk Ward and first released September 22nd, 2023. 

It takes place on the fictional John Wick timeline in the year: 

1975 AD 

We know this because a character says the "garbage strike is crushing us" so New York City is in the middle of the NYC Department of Sanitation garbage strike of 1975 AD. Though, the first episode's main action opens on New Year's Eve so the very, very beginning is in 1974 AD. 

Each episode also opens with flashback prologues taking place even further back in Winston and his brother Frankie’s childhood in 1955 AD. We know this because each prologue includes a place and year setting title card over the footage. (Several references are made to this time for Winston and Frankie as being roughly 20 years previous to the present.) Episode 2 also includes a second prologue explaining how Yen and Frankie first met in 1973 AD, clearly labeled with a place and year setting title card over the footage. This means it can't be the garbage strike of 1968 AD. 

1968 - 20 = 1948 

but 

1975 - 20 = 1955. 

Furthermore, it depicts the youth of characters like Winston Scott and Charon from the “John Wick” film series and in “John Wick: Chapter 3 - Parabellum” (2019), Winston says, “I have served and been a beacon of order and stability to our industry for over 40 years.” referring roughly to his status at the end of this mini-series. The John Wick films take place in 2014-2015 AD. So it can't be the garbage strike of 1981 AD. 

2015 - 1981 = 34 

but 

2015 - 1975 = 40. 

It is the chronologically earliest story in the John Wick universe and can be watched either at its timeline point, between “John Wick: Chapter 3 - Parabellum” (2019) and “John Wick: Chapter 4” (2023) as an extended flashback, or entirely separately.