5 Different Ways You Could Watch Netflix’s Nonlinear Heist Series, “Kaleidoscope”

Netflix’s “Kaleidoscope” might seem like the average thriller series, but it has one thing that sets it apart from other heist movies and shows: the series, released Jan. 1, is eight episodes long, but it’s designed to be watched in any order. Every episode is titled with a different color – a nod to the titular kaleidoscope – and starts with a title card about how far away the episode is from the heist. Some episodes take place just days before, while others go many years into the past to fill in on the backstory. Played by Giancarlo Esposito, the series star is a master thief who puts together a team to rob a vault, but in the end they all get more than they bargained for.

Creator and showrunner Eric Garcia explained why he designed the series to be watched in any order in a Dec. 25 interview with the New York Post. “I said, ‘I think with all this batch delivery [of episodes on streaming] there’s no reason you have to watch a show in order. Why can’t we watch it out of order?'” He added, “And heist stories, which have always been my favorite genre, are always about loyalty and who is really on whose side, and shifting identities. For a show that’s meant to come into different characters at different times, and see them at different facets, it felt like a smart way to merge the two things: heist and nonlinear [storytelling].”

You could, of course, watch the Netflix miniseries in the order episodes are posted in – which mixes up the timeline – or you could randomly pick which episode you watch next on your own. Ahead, we’re breaking down the timeline of the episodes and some possible orders you could watch them in, including our own suggestion.

Netflix’s “Kaleidoscope” Order

1. “Yellow” – six weeks before the heist
2. “Green” – seven years before the heist
3. “Blue” – five days before the heist
4. “Orange” – three weeks before the heist
5. “Violet” – 24 years before the heist
6. “Red” – the morning after the heist
7. “Pink” – six months after the heist
8. “White” – the heist

“Kaleidoscope” Chronological-Episode Order

1. “Violet” – 24 years before the heist
2. “Green” – seven years before the heist
3. “Yellow” – six weeks before the heist
4. “Orange” – three weeks before the heist
5. “Blue” – five days before the heist
6. “White” – the heist
7. “Red” – the morning after the heist
8. “Pink” – six months after the heist

“Kaleidoscope” Reverse-Chronological-Episode Order

1. “Pink” – six months after the heist
2. “Red” – the morning after the heist
3. “White” – the heist
4. “Blue” – five days before the heist
5. “Orange” – three weeks before the heist
6. “Yellow” – six weeks before the heist
7. “Green” – seven years before the heist
8. “Violet” – 24 years before the heist

Heist-First “Kaleidoscope” Order

This order starts with the heist and then jumps throughout the timeline.

1. “White” – the heist
2. “Violet” – 24 years before the heist
3. “Yellow” – six weeks before the heist
4. “Green” – seven years before the heist
5. “Red” – the morning after the heist
6. “Blue” – five days before the heist
7. “Orange” – three weeks before the heist
8. “Pink” – six months after the heist

POPSUGAR’s Suggested “Kaleidoscope” Order

We think this order plays with the nonlinear aspect while also giving you information at the most-interesting times.

1. “Yellow” – six weeks before the heist
2. “Green” – seven years before the heist
3. “Violet” – 24 years before the heist
4. “Orange” – three weeks before the heist
5. “Blue” – five days before the heist
6. “White” – the heist
7. “Red” – the morning after the heist
8. “Pink” – six months after the heist