Kaleidoscope: Why Netflix's anthology crime drama is unlike anything you've seen before

Kaleidoscope kicks off the New Year on Netflix with a mind-bending new TV concept – an immersive experience where viewers choose the episode order.

Rather than episode numbers, crime thriller Kaleidoscope has episode colours and viewers can choose where they begin and end – so every viewing experience will be slightly different.

With Giancarlo Esposito (Breaking Bad) and Rufus Sewell (The Pale Horse) leading the case and a vault heist plot inspired by real events, Kaleidoscope is a curious TV first that promises a story of corruption, greed, loyalties and betrayals.

Here is everything you need to know about Kaleidoscope…

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New on Netflix in January - What's on

What is the Kaleidoscope release date?

Stream every episode of Kaleidoscope, in any order you choose, on Netflix now.

How to watch Kaleidoscope – what is the correct episode order?

Kaleidoscope is a non-liner story, which means that the compelling crime drama can be watched in any order by viewers.

Different Netflix viewers will get a different viewing experience, depending on the choices they make with the episode order.

The episodes all have colours rather than numbers, concluding with the epic finale White: The Heist.

The episodes include Yellow, Green, Blue, Violet, Orange, Red and Pink.

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

Episode list

• Yellow: 6 Weeks Before The Heist
• Green: 7 Years Before the Heist
• Blue: 5 Days Before the Heist
• Violet: 24 Years Before the Heist
• Orange: 3 Weeks Before the Heist
• Red: The Morning After the Heist
• Pink: 6 Months After
• White: The Heist - the epic story finale

How will you experience the colours of Kaleidoscope? Netflix have shared some possible episode orders on their official Twitter.

Kaleidoscope cast and characters

Full cast list

• Giancarlo Esposito – Plays Leo Pap
• Rufus Sewell – Plays Roger Salas
• Paz Vega – Plays Ava Mercer
• Tati Gabrielle – Plays Hannah
• Rosaline Elbay – Plays Judy Goodwin
• Jai Courtney – Plays Bob Goodwin
• Peter Mark Kendall – Plays Stan Loomis
• Niousha Noor – Plays Nazan Abassi
• Jordan Mendoza – Plays RJ Acosta Jr
• Soojeong Son – Plays Liz Kim
• Hemky Madera - Plays Carlos Sujo
• Bubba Weiler – Plays Samuel Toby

The Thieves

Pap (Giancarlo Esposito) – The Mastermind

The Leader. Leo is whip-smart, intense and driven, with an engineer's mind and a meticulous eye for detail. He became a thief at a young age, and though he had a chance to get out, he couldn't stay away from the criminal life and his relapse cost him his family and his freedom.

Ava Mercer (Paz Vega) – The Weapons Specialist

An attorney by day, she is equally at home on a gun range or gallery show as she is in the courtroom. Although she plays things fast and loose, deep down she’s a passionate soul who will do anything to protect the few people close to her.

Judy Goodwin (Rosaline Elbay) – The Explosives Expert

The crew's demolitions specialist, Judy is headstrong and independent - an eccentric spitfire with a sarcastic edge who is clever and talented enough to stay a step ahead of her mistakes.

Bob Goodwin (Jai Courtney) – The Safe Cracker

A chest-puffing alpha male with a knack for safecracking and pushing people’s buttons, Bob is attractive enough to be a threat and smart enough to be dangerous to anyone who gets in his way when he’s on the hunt.

Stan Loomis (Peter Mark Kendall) – The Smuggler

A small-time smuggler with a big-time passion for life's epicurean pleasures, Stan's got a mouth that never stops running and the heart of a hopeless romantic. Loyal to a fault, he's willing to risk it all for the object of his desire - even if it means giving up the comfortable life he's built for himself.

RJ Acosta JR (Jordan Mendoza) – The Driver

Shaggy and technical-minded, RJ is a self-taught engineer, a brilliant mechanic and car customizer, and a driver extraordinaire. What he excels in tech know-how, he lacks in common sense and people skills, but his loyalty to Leo knows no bounds. When he's invited to join the crew, he jumps at the chance to prove his worth. 

The Corporate Security Team with the Unbeatable Vault

Roger Salas (Rufus Sewell) – The Corporate Security Titan

A former thief who has reinvented himself as a top tier security expert, Roger is a salesman with an uncanny ability to manipulate people to his own ends. He is loyal to a point, but his own ambitions and needs will win out every time.

Hannah Kim (Tati Gabrielle) – The Protégé

Intelligent, ambitious, and adaptable, Hannah is a woman who wears many hats, and is driven by far more than money. As a chameleon who flows between the world of high-stakes finance and low-lying crime, she will have to use everything in her bag of tricks to find a way up and out.

Liz Kim (Soojeong Son) – The Sister

Liz is Hannah’s younger sister, a free spirit and aspiring DJ/immersive dance captain. She's a source of joy to Hannah, but her laissez-faire attitude conflicts with Hannah's deep work ethic. Together, they'll have to find a way to support each other and work hand-in-hand if they want to come out on top.

Carlos Sujo (Hemky Madera) – The Henchman

Carlos is Roger Salas’s right-hand man and head of security - not just for the company, but for Roger himself. Loyal and intense, Carlos is the one who Roger turns to when he needs something handled off-book. Very few people really understand what Carlos does for Roger, but they all know it's best to leave him a wide berth and not get in his way.

The Agents On The Case

Nazan Abbasi (Niousha Noor) – The Driven Agent

Driven, damaged and tenacious to a fault, FBI Agent Nazan Abassi is the raging fire that threatens to burn the crew of thieves down - as long as those flames don’t consume her first.

Agent Samuel Toby (Bubba Weiler) – The Partner

Special Agent Samuel Toby is a boy scout in the FBI, the kind of guy who'd take a strawberry milkshake over a vodka on the rocks. He's got a sharp mind, and an immense admiration for fellow Agent Nazan Abbasi that seeps over from professional to personal.

He’s attracted to her intelligence and skill in the field and devotedly aids her as she attempts to track down the crew. But when he realizes Nazan is way too deep into her obsession, he'll have to choose whether his priorities lie in being on the right side of his career, or the right side of justice.

What is the plot of Kaleidoscope? The true story explained

The series is loosely inspired by the real-life story where seventy billion dollars in bonds went missing in downtown Manhattan during Hurricane Sandy in October 2012.

Kaleidoscope consists of eight episodes spanning from 24 years before the heist to six months after.

This is a story 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

Watch Kaleidoscope on Netflix from January 1.