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There’s a lot that’s familiar about Netflix’s new limited series Kaleidoscope. It’s the story of a heist, and as such, it comes with many of the story beats you might expect – old grudges, team assembly, smaller missions that set up for the big one. But there’s one key way Kaleidoscope – which dropped Jan. 1 and is Netflix’s No. 1 TV show right now – differs from similar shows you might have seen. You can watch the episodes in any order.
The series dropped Jan. 1 and made it to the No. 1 TV show on Netflix right now. Without giving too much away, Giancarlo Esposito plays Ray Vernon (aka Leo Pap), the ringleader of a group plotting a multibillion-dollar job while settling an old score. Every episode tells a chunk of the story, focusing on Vernon’s motivations, or the planning of the heist, or what unfolds in the aftermath. The segments come in whichever random order Netflix decides to deliver them to you (with the exception of the actual heist serving as the final episode).
This isn’t the first time Netflix has experimented with nonlinear storytelling. In 2018, Black Mirror: Bandersnatch offered a choose-your-own-adventure take on a film about a computer programmer. The following year, viewers got to make decisions for adventurer Bear Grylls in You vs. Wild.
Kaleidoscope’s episodes are named for different colors, no doubt a nod to the series‘ name, but also a way to easily track what order you’re watching and compare with friends. You aren’t obligated to watch the way Netflix suggests.
