Here's a rundown of the "Big Time Rush" timeline. Warning: It's long.
Season 1: early April -> late July (2010)
- It's snowing in the pilot, but the boys are still in school (and Christmas decor is nowhere to be found).
- In real life, April 4 was officially declared "Big Time Rush Day" by the mayor of Duluth (the fictional band's hometown). At first glance, this oddly specific date doesn't seem to have any ties to BTR. But after thinking about it, I realized that this was probably when the boys left Duluth to make it big time.
- Griffin gives them three months to produce their demos.
- So, "Big Time Demos" is set in early June. Just for good measure, Kendall opens this episode with "I can't believe we've been here for three months!"
- In "Big Time Dance", the Palmwoods School throws an "end-of-year" dance party. End of the school year, that is. In 2010, the last day of school was June 24 (in Los Angeles, anyway).
- A couple episodes later, "Big Time Fever" shows everyone dying of heat.
- Then, in the season finale, the guys return to Duluth. It's no longer snowing. In fact, everybody is dressed lightly. Obviously, it's a warm month for the whole country—like, say, late July.
- According to Gustavo, their first tour starts two weeks after the finale.
Conclusion: This season takes place over the course of four months. The pilot is set in early April (one of the snowiest months in Duluth), while the finale is set in late July (one of the hottest months in Los Angeles).
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Season 2: late September (2010) -> late November (2011)
- Their tour must have started in mid-August, since that's two weeks after late July. According to Katie, it lasted for six weeks.
- The first episode opens with Mr. Bitters telling the boys that "it's fall." Six weeks after mid-August is late September, which is when fall begins. The band also performs at Rocktoberfest, which—you guessed it—happens in late September.
- "Big Time Pranks" takes place smack in the middle of "Big Time Halloween" and "Big Time Christmas." It's safe to say that this one is set in November. Dang, I really wanted "The Day of Pranks" to be April 1st...
- "Big Time Moms" is set in mid-May, of course.
- Proms are typically held in late April to early June. Since "Big Time Prom Kings" comes right after "Big Time Moms", it's set in late May.
- You know what? After season 1, the air dates seem to align with the fictional settings. So, I'll just assume that the season 2 finale takes place in late November.
Conclusion: Season 2 encapsulates a whole year—both for the characters, and the viewers.
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Big Time Movie: mid-March (2012)
- I'll guesstimate that the boys had about two months to prepare for their world tour.
- Everyone is bundled up in coats, scarves, etc. The average March high in London is around 54°F (12°C).
- Oh yeah, the movie was released on March 10.
Conclusion: Mid-March it is. Also, it's hard to believe that the whole film happens within a day.
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Season 3: ?? mid-May -> early November (2012) ??
- Their world tour apparently spans two months (no one ever says exactly how long it is). This season kicks off with their final concert.
- I have a gut feeling that "Big Time Camping" takes place in October, since it's an ideal month for camping in California (mild temps).
- I can only assume that the finale is set before December.
Conclusion: Honestly, there's not much to gauge dates from in season 3. Trust me—I re-watched the entirety of it, for this sole purpose. Everything just sort of...happens.
The only episode that hints a date is "Big Time Gold": Kendall says Jo's birthday is on the 21st. Of what, Kendall? The 21st of what?? It seems like they purposely avoid mentioning months. So, I mainly relied on the air dates as evidence.
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Season 4: early May -> late July (2013)
- In the first episode, Logan says they're about to announce their summer tour. So, clearly, it's almost summer. Once again, I used my guesstimating skills to infer that they announced it a month in advance. Besides, this episode aired in May.
- This shot from "Big Time Cameos" (episode 5) proves that it's set in late May/early June:
- The finale aired in late July, so it must be set in late July. Also, it just makes sense that the "Tween Choice Awards" would be held in the summer.
Conclusion: Well, this one is short and sweet: It simply seems to take place over two months. However, there is one glaring discrepancy: "Big Time Pranks II" sits in the middle of this season. We've already established that the Day of Pranks is in November. So...what happened here? Did the writers just completely ignore this detail??
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Let's summarize!
Within the showverse, Big Time Rush's entire career spans three years. It begins in early April of 2010, and ends in late July of 2013.
Well...it doesn't "end", per se. It just disappears from the fourth wall's view. We have yet to know how long Showverse!BTR really lasted, past the finale.
