While the Cowboy Bebop anime series is held up nowadays as a classic, the series actually had a film adaptation not long after it aired, giving one more adventure with the Bebop's crew. Given the series' ending though, a common question among fans is: just when is the Cowboy Bebop movie set? Though the movie is standalone and only requires a cursory knowledge of the series, a close look at the film makes it abundantly clear just when the movie is set.
The Cowboy Bebop movie doesn't explicitly state when it's set, but clever fans with an eye for detail have pinned down its placement in the series' timeline. In the film, Ed is still present, placing it before she leaves in episode 24. The bounty hunting show Big Shot is also still on the air, suggesting the film takes place before episode 23, where the program is shown to be canceled live on air. Additionally, the film features a cameo appearance by the recurring character Andy, still in his cowboy outfit from episode 22, "Cowboy Funk." That means that the film takes place close to episode 22, but before episode 23. Archives of Cowboy Bebop's official English website on the Wayback Machine also confirm this, stating it to be set between episodes 22 and 23.
Cowboy Bebop: The Movie is Set Between Episodes 22 & 23
Due to Cowboy Bebop's ambiguous ending, setting a film after the series would potentially ruin the series' ending, and regardless of that, it wouldn't be able to feature many of the fixtures which make Bebop what it is. If the film was to include the whole crew, counting Ed and Ein, it had to be set before episode 24. While it could potentially be set earlier, a prequel would suffer the same problem of not including the whole crew, and setting it in the first half of the series would mean the characters are still getting to know each other. Having it set late in the series, but before it ends offers the best of both worlds.
Since the Cowboy Bebop film is for fans, it makes sense that it's set as late in the story as possible, as that provides the characters with the most amount of development they can have. In spite of all these details which tie it down to a particular timeframe, it doesn't actually matter too much when one watches the film due to its standalone nature. It can be enjoyed just as much after the series, as it was intended to be, as it can by watching it where it belongs in the series' timeline.
Those able to watch Cowboy Bebop The Movie at all should consider themselves lucky, and not fret too much over exactly where or how it fits into the timeline of the series. Curious fans of Cowboy Bebop: The Movie, however, can be satisfied knowing that these details help to pin it down precisely in the series' timeline.
Source: Wayback Machine
