Clerks takes place on a March or April Saturday in 1992 at the Leonardo, NJ Quick Stop and RST Video stores. During the course of the day Dante and Randall have their little adventures. One of which is a funeral for Julie Dwyer who died doing laps at the YMCA pool. This is the only real connection to any of the other films except for the "Yes, I assure you we're open" sign and Dante's oft repeated "I'm not even supposed to be here today!"
Mallrats is an interresting movie in that it actually takes place the day before Clerks (Friday, March/ April, 1992). The main indicator of this is that Julie Dwyer died the night before preparing for Mr. Svenning's dating show... enter Brandi Svenning. According to some liner notes in "Chasing Amy" DVD TS, Brandi, and Brody all graduated in 1990. So that would make everyone Sophomores in college and they are on Spring Break. At the end of the movie is where we see the connections to other movies. Brody Bruce becomes "Tonight Show" host, and you see Jay and Silent Bob walking w/ "Suzanne" and it's labeled as a "different story." (See: Jay and Silent Bob Strike Back)
Once again, according to liner notes, Chasing Amy takes place 2 years after the events in Clerks and Mallrats. So here we are now in 1994. (Don't ask me where I came up w/ these years... I can't remember.) Holden, Bankey, and Alyssa may have gone to different high schools but they all graduated in 1988. There are many references to past movies so I will sort out what I can. Alyssa Jones was best friends w/ Caitlin Brie (Clerks) in high school. Alyssa's line was "My best friend fucked a dead guy there!" There was the obligitory reference to Julie Dwyer and the pool. Alyssa metioned that she did Shannon Hamilton (Mallrats) in college and got it on w/ Gwen Turner and a 26 y/o in the back of a limo at Senior Prom. ("Gwen Turner" was Joey Lauren Adams' character in Mallrats. So I guess she was doing heself?) The next reference has me a little stumped, so please let me know if I'm wrong. Bankey graduated in 1988, therefore he was a Sophomore in 1985-86. Bankey was talking about how he was going down on Brandi Svenning and got injured. If he was a soph in H.S. that means that Brandi was in 8th grade. The next reference is Jay and Bob talking about taking a trip and going to Chi Town. "Chi Town" is slang for Chicago and this is referencing Dogma and their pilgramage to "Shermer, Il." My last reference is future movie reference... Holden sells his part of the comic to Bankey. More on this in J&SB Strike Back.
Dogma pretty much stands on it's own timeline-wise, except that is takes place at the same time (1994). The only reference was the one previously mentioned in Chasing Amy about the trip to the fictional town of Shermer, Il. This is where they meet up w/ Bethany, and accompany her on the trip back to Jersey.
The first thing we truly notice is that J&SB are anging out, like always, in front of RST and the "Yes I assure you we're open" sign is up. The first thought is that this movie takes place back in 1992 at the same time as Clerks. There are some discrepicies tho. There was no restraining order in Clerks since J&SB are seen at night at the store, and Dante and Randall are in different clothes. So it's by sheer coincidence that Dante is stuck at work again, and those "savages" jammed gum in the locks, again. From what I can tell, this movie takes place a few years after the previous 4. For our references we have Jay referring to God as "She" (Dogma), and they save Suzanne the ape (Chasing Amy). The only other references are that Holden sold to Bankey "years ago" (Chasing Amy), and Brody has a poster hanging up about leaving the "Tonight Show" and the line "Would you like a chocolate covered pretzel?" (Mallrats). As far as I can tell, there are no other references to the previous movies. But I feel that this is the funniest of all 5!
Jason Mews: Jay
Kevin Smith: Silent Bob
Ben Affleck: Shannon Hamilton - Mallrats; Holden MacNeill - Chasing Amy/J&SB; Himself - J&SB; Bartltby - Dogma
Jason Lee: Brody Bruce - Mallrats/J&SB; Bankey Edwards - Chasing Amy/J&SB; Azriel - Dogma
Matt Damon: Cartoon Exec - Chasing Amy; Loki - Dogma; Himself - J&SB
Brian Christopher O'Halloran: Dante Hicks - Clerks/J&SB; Gill Hicks - Mallrats; Grant Hicks - Dogma; Cartoon Exec - Chasing Amy
Jeff Anderson: Randall - Clerks/J&SB
Joey Lauren Adams: Gwen Turner - Mallrats; Alyssa Jones - Chasing Amy/J&SB
Chris Rock: Rufus the 13th Apostle - Dogma; Chaka Zulu King - J&SB