Kaleidoscope Trailer: Netflix Gets Experimental With A Nonlinear Heist Series

Remember the days of channel surfing and cable television, when you would flip to a station with a random TV series and start watching? Remember how you wouldn't think twice about starting with episode 7 of a show you've never once watched before? Ironically, Netflix has become so nostalgic for those days that the streamer designed a new series that's meant to be watched in any possible order.

"Kaleidoscope" is the latest Netflix experiment: a non-linear crime saga that subscribers will each get to view in a completely different order, before ending with a finale episode that puts all the pieces together. And what story would fit such a wild format better than a heist? The series is described as, "A master thief and his crew attempt an epic and elaborate heist worth $7 billion dollars — but betrayal, greed, and other threats undermine their plans."

The story is very loosely inspired by a real-life situation. $70 billion in bonds went missing during Hurricane Sandy and "Kaleidoscope" imagines that a team of skilled thieves joined together to undergo a multi-decade-long plan to break into an unbreakable vault. The eight-episode first season takes place over the course of a 24-year timeline that spans the initial preparations all the way through six months after the heist. Instead of numbers, episodes will be assigned colors and take place at different times: like "Green: 7 Years Before the Heist" or "Red: The Morning After the Heist."

Conceptually, "Kaleidoscope" sounds like a mind-boggling experiment. Everyone's experience will be unique and with the episodes designed to be watched in any order, everyone may walk away with slightly different impressions of the story and characters. Plus, the timeline means that each episode could stand alone as an excerpt from the longer story. In the end, though, it's all about execution. Can "Kaleidoscope" live up to the hype?

"Kaleidoscope" stars Giancarlo Esposito as Leo Pap, the mastermind behind the heist whose crew includes characters played by Paz Vega, Rosaline Elbay, Jai Courtney, Peter Mark Kendall, and Jordan Mendoza. Their antagonist is where things get interesting: Not only is he the head of a corporate security company, but he has a history with Leo. In fact, it seems there's a personal revenge plot afoot. (I'm sure that Leo's ulterior motive won't complicate things or lead to any trouble!) Rufus Sewell plays the enemy in question, Roger Salas, a former thief turned security worker. He has a team of his own, which includes Tati Gabrielle, Soojeong Son, and Hemky Madera.

Rounding out the cast as FBI agents, expect to see Nazan Abassi and Samuel Toby investigating the thieves. Eric Garcia ("Repo Man") serves as creator, showrunner, and executive producer of the series.

Prepare to kickoff the New Year by putting these puzzle pieces together: "Kaleidoscope" is set to hit Netflix on January 1, 2023.

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?