Kaleidoscope is trying to change the way you watch television. The Netflix heist series, starring Giancarlo Esposito, Tati Gabrielle, and Rufus Sewell, portrays an ultra-complicated crime with a 25-year backstory.
Its most notable aspect is its presentation. The first seven of the show’s eight episodes will appear in every Netflix account in a random order, each set at a different point in the show’s timeline ranging from 25 years before the heist to six months after it. It makes for a unique viewing experience, but if you don’t trust the algorithm, here’s a suggested viewing order and the chronological order.
What’s the correct viewing order for Kaleidoscope?
Technically, there is no “correct” viewing order for Kaleidoscope. The episodes aren’t numbered, but are instead assigned colors, with the first seven episodes appearing randomly. So the “correct” order is the one that the whims of your Netflix account assign you, but that doesn’t mean you can’t rebel against the machine and jump around.
“White,” the episode that actually shows the heist, is supposed to be the finale regardless of how you view the rest of the series. But if you’re determined to watch the other episodes in chronological order, you’ll want to follow this sequence:
- “Violet: 24 Years Before the Heist”
- “Green: 7 Years Before the Heist”
- “Yellow: 6 Weeks Before The Heist”
- “Orange: 3 Weeks Before the Heist”
- “Blue: 5 Days Before the Heist”
- “Red: The Morning After the Heist”
- “Pink: 6 Months After”
- “White: The Heist”
What’s the chronological viewing order for Kaleidoscope?
If you’re the kind of person who wants to see a story from beginning to end, regardless of the intention of its creators, then you’ll want to follow a slightly different order. Keep in mind that this will make the story unfold for you differently than it does for other Netflix viewers, but the absolute chronological order is:
- “Violet: 24 Years Before the Heist”
- “Green: 7 Years Before the Heist”
- “Yellow: 6 Weeks Before The Heist”
- “Orange: 3 Weeks Before the Heist”
- “Blue: 5 Days Before the Heist”
- “White: The Heist”
- “Red: The Morning After the Heist”
- “Pink: 6 Months After”
Kaleidoscope is engineered so that any watching order would technically work, but the finale may be a bit anticlimactic if “White” isn’t last. Still, you’ll see a gripping heist story with a long and complex history. And then, just as importantly, you can hop online and debate viewing methods.
Kaleidoscope is now streaming on Netflix.
