Since I started watching the show I've always wondered about what year the show started on. The other day when I was watching TVLand they were showing a clip from Happy Days with Joanie and Chachi and on their shirts you see something like "The Kinks 1965". I think that it's from the last season, but I'm not exactly sure. I just thought that was interesting because I always thought that the first season was set somewhere around 1956 mostly based on the fact that Fonzie has a James Dean poster. The use of music throws me off though because they use songs together that came out in different years. Can anyone pinpoint the year? There are so many cultural references to help but I can never come up with an exact answer. There was the election, Bonanza (which is too broad unless you want to get more specific and use the actual episode to find out a year), the Beach Boys, "My Guy".

I always go by the sign Joanie holds up in the movie she prepares for Richie in "Home Movies." It says "SUMMER 1962." That was the summer between the eighth and ninth seasons. Going by that, the series is set starting in 1955 and ending in 1965.

Its hard to really know. I know their was an episode about the 1956 election during the first or second season in which Richie campained for Stevenson over Eisenhower.

It also doesn't help that Richie was 17 the first three seasons.

Yah I was never able to determine the specific year - they never seemed to try to be very accurate about fitting the music, props and especially costumes to the year (especially hair styles)! so its tough to tell for sure. I'd say 1955 -56 is probably the most accurate.

And now I have to go find out what happened to Chuck!

Yah I was never able to determine the specific year - they never seemed to try to be very accurate about fitting the music, props and especially costumes to the year (especially hair styles)! so its tough to tell for sure. I'd say 1955 -56 is probably the most accurate.

And now I have to go find out what happened to Chuck!
He was kidnapped by Ted McGinley who wanted his job, Cathie~~~!!!