'Kaleidoscope' First Look & BTS Sneak Peek: Netflix Opens 2023 With A Non-Linear Heist Series

How will Netflix open up its loaded calendar year of releases in 2023? From the looks of things, with a color-coded bang. “Kaleidoscope,” an all-new crime anthology series, hits the streamer on New Year’s Day, and it’s one of the most experimental things Netflix has ever cooked up.  

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So, how’s the upcoming show so experimental, and what’s the color coding about? Well, “Kaleidoscope” premieres its eight episodes, each named after a color, in a unique linear sequence for each Netflix subscriber who watches it. Each viewer eventually sees all the episodes, but the order that they watch them affects their take on the story and its characters. And what a story this show has: it’s a heist drama about a crime that takes twenty-five years to pull off.

Here’s an official synopsis for “Kaleidoscope” courtesy of Netflix: 

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.

Giancarlo Esposito leads the ensemble cast of “Kaleidoscope.” Joining him are Paz VegaRufus SewellJai CourtneyNiousha NoorTati GabriellePeter Mark Kendall, and Rosaline Elbay.

Eric Garcia, the director behind 2010’s “Repo Men,” is the showrunner of “Kaleidoscope.”  Russell FineEverardo GoutMairzee Almas, and Robert Townsend share directing duties on the series.  Evan EndicottJosh StoddardNing ZhouKalen EganKate Barnow and Garrett Lerner co-write the show with Garcia.

So, how differently will “Kaleidoscope” play out for each viewer of the series? Find out when the show hits Netflix on Sunday, January 1, 2023. Check out a behind-the-scenes sneak peek for the series below.