Kaleidoscope: Release Date, Cast, And More For Netflix's Ambitious New Streaming Series

A new Netflix anthology is on the way and it's likely to put a spin on your typical water cooler discussions. "Kaleidoscope" is certainly the kind of show you'll want to unpack with your friends: it's got high stakes, lots of intrigue, a mystery, and action-packed criminal hijinks. There's just one problem. Should you discuss the miniseries with someone before either of you has finished, you'll quickly realize that something is off: neither of you will have seen the same episodes.

"Kaleidoscope" isn't your average Netflix series — it's an immersive experience. Unlike most shows, this series was designed to be watched in any possible order. In fact, Netflix itself will be scrambling the episodes so that each viewer watches the series unfold in a different way.

While this is certainly a new approach for the streamer, this non-linear series isn't too far off from its prior experimental endeavors. The streaming giant has been toying with immersive experiences for years now. Remember "Bandersnatch," the choose-your-own-adventure "Black Mirror" episode from 2018? That interactive episode played out differently for each user based on decisions they made themselves. That's not quite the case for "Kaleidoscope" because the audience won't be affecting the story. Instead, the order of the episodes will be affecting the viewers' interpretation of the series. Who can you trust? Whose in the right? What's really going on? Depending on the order of your episodes, puzzling together those answers will be a completely different experience. Intrigued? I haven't even told you the best part: "Kaleidoscope" is a heist story.

This nonlinear series marks a first for Netflix, but a continuation of its experimental tendencies. So fittingly, Kaleidoscope will kick off the new year by dropping on January 1, 2023. Prepare to enjoy the series with the whole family or better yet, watch it separately and try to put all the pieces together. As usual, all the episodes will drop at once but instead of being numbered (and ordered), each episode has been assigned a color. Netflix itself will randomly assign you an order, shuffling the first 7 episodes ("Yellow," "Green," "Blue," "Violet," "Orange," "Red" and "Pink") before culminating with the epic "White: The Heist" finale. Based on that plan, the perfect tie to unpack the series with friends might be right before the finale — everyone will have seen all the episodes but the last. And having watched the story unfold in a different order, everyone will also have their own biases and theories.

Kaleidoscope is based on a "potentially real story." In a chat with Tudum, series creator Eric Garcia explained where the idea first came from: "After Hurricane Sandy, $70 billion worth of bonds got flooded in the basement of the DTCC, which is a large clearing effort that's owned by a bunch of the big banks. To my mind, I was like, 'Well, that's a perfect coverup for a heist!'" SO building off of that potential excuse for a heist, Garcia wrote "Kaleidoscope."

The story itself spans 25 years, following a crew of masterful thieves who eventually come together to unlock an unbreakable vault for the biggest payday in history. But before they can actually steal away with the cash, they need to overcome both the FBI and the world's most powerful corporate security team. And the series won't just end with the heist: it will also explore the 6 month aftermath of their actions.

A heist, a mystery, and Giancarlo Esposito: what more could you want in a series? Esposito stars as Leo Pap, the mastermind of the operation who is in it for more than just the money — Leo is also after revenge. Along with Esposito, expect to see the following faces play prominent roles in "Kaleidoscope": Jai Courteney ("The Suicide Squad"), Paz Vega ("Rambo: Last Blood"), Rufus Sewell ("Old"), Tati Gabrielle ("Uncharted," "You"), Peter Mark Kendall ("The Americans"), Rosaline Elbay ("Ramy"), Niousha Noor ("The Night"), Jordan Mendoza ("Maurice on Mars"), Soojeong Son ("Servant") and Hemky Madera ("Queen of the South").

The experimental crime drama comes from series creator Eric Garcia, who previously penned the scripts for "Repo Men" and "Strange But True." Garcia serves as showrunner ad head writer, while directing duties are shared amongst Russell Fine, Everardo Gout, Mairzee Almas, and Robert Townsend.

In lieu of a trailer, Netflix has provided a behind-the-scenes look at "Kaleidoscope." The mysterious nature of this story — and the fact that it will be revealed in a different order for each viewer — means plot details are likely to remain thin. So instead, the video "Building Kaleidoscope" explains how this viewing experience will be different from others, featuring insight from the creators and cast.

Netflix has provided the following synopsis:

Spanning 25 years, Kaleidoscope (previously titled Jigsaw) is an all-new anthology series following a crew of masterful thieves and their attempt to crack a seemingly unbreakable vault for the biggest payday in history. Guarded by the world's most powerful corporate security team, and with law enforcement on the case, every episode reveals a piece of an elaborate puzzle of corruption, greed, vengeance, scheming, loyalties and betrayals. How did the crew of thieves plan it? Who gets away with it? Who can be trusted?

Loosely inspired by the real-life story where seventy billion dollars in bonds went missing in downtown Manhattan during Hurricane Sandy, Kaleidoscope consists of eight episodes spanning from 24 years before the heist to 6 months after. The compelling crime anthology series takes a non-linear approach to storytelling, building intrigue and suspense uniquely, with Netflix members each having a different immersive viewing experience. Some members may start with certain episodes (like episodes "Yellow or "Green"), then move deeper into their own personal viewing order with varying episodes ("Blue" or "Violet" or "Orange," followed by "Red" or "Pink") until the epic "White: The Heist" story finale.

All viewers will eventually see all episodes, but the order in which they watch the episodes will affect their viewpoint on the story, the characters, and the questions and answers at the heart of the heist. How will you experience the colors of Kaleidoscope?