When Tales From The Loop Is Supposed To Be Set

Amazon’s Tales from the Loop followed several Mercer, Ohio residents as their personal journeys intertwined with anachronistic technology – but in what era was the show actually set? The science-fiction drama is based on the paintings of Swedish artist Simon Stålenhag. His artwork also spawned a 2017 tabletop role-playing game, from which the show also drew inspiration. Tales From The Loop itself was developed by Nathaniel Halpern, who previously wrote episodes of Legion and The Killing. Though Mercer appeared ordinary, the town was established as home to the Mercer Center for Experimental Physics – known locally as the Loop. Founded by Russ Willard (Jonathan Pryce), the underground institute conducted numerous experiments under the mantra of making possible the impossible.

Unfortunately, the results of such experiments frequently found their way into the lives of townsfolk – with often tragic consequences. A young girl investigating the disappearance of her mother finds herself transported to the future and meets her adult self (Iron Man 3‘s Rebecca Hall). Two teenage boys swap lives after discovering a device in the woods. A teenage girl tries to make a romance last forever with a device that can stop time. A young boy deals with the meaning of life when introduced to a structure that foretells one’s life span. The Loop’s security guard searches for love in a parallel dimension. And the rest of the Willard family are forced to reconcile with the past and contend with a complex present when the final two episodes bring various threads together.

Given the time-defying journeys experienced in several Tales from the Loop episodes, there is actually not one definitive answer regarding the show’s setting. However, there is much to suggest that the majority takes place in the early 1980s. Despite the extraordinary things that the Loop’s technology allows, the more widely available offerings are tellingly retro. Televisions and computers, for example, are a far cry from what is available in the modern age. The same goes for radios, vinyl record players, and rotary telephones – which are still used on a household basis. Similarly, in Tales from the Loop season 1, episode 6, “Parallel”, the character of Gaddis is seen using an old fashioned jukebox. Both it and the song choices match the era being the 80s. The currency and clothing worn by the characters equally match the time period.

The show also touches on a number of other eras. In Tales from the Loop season 1, episode 1, “Loop”, the young Loretta (Abby Ryder Fortson) is seen walking home after school. Along the way, she passes a movie theater with a sign announcing that Summer with Monika is playing. That particular film was directed by Ingmar Bergman. Though it was initially released throughout Sweden in 1953, it didn’t make its way to the United States until 1955. Given the age difference between Fortson and Hall, the timeline tracks to put the adult Loretta (and the rest of the main characters) squarely in the early days of the 1980s.

In Tales from the Loop season 1, episode 8, “Home”, things take a turn in the other direction. Loretta’s son, Cole, has his own time-hopping journey. Unlike hers, however, Cole’s proves to be a one-way trip with several tragic implications. The earliest sign that he’s jumped forward in time comes when “Can’t Get You Out of My Head” by Kylie Minogue can be heard playing from within a scene. The song was released in the United States in February 2002. The ending of Tales From the Loop season 1 moves the timeline even further forward – with a glimpse of Cole in middle age.

It’s easy to see why Tales from the Loop chose the era that it did. Following the likes of Stranger Things, it continues the nostalgia trend but also removes the convenient solutions that cell phones and the internet could provide in some of the show’s situations. Plus, the 1980s also served as the setting for the aforementioned tabletop game. Whether Tales from the Loop season 2 will return to the 80s or follow through on its anthological tales being closer to modern-day, however, remains to be seen.

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