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Netflix’s new mind-bending, and time-bending, series Kaleidoscope is not your typical binge. The thriller series about a heist is designed to be watched in any order, aside from the series finale 'White'.
According to the streamer, each way you choose to watch it will impact how you view the story, the characters you sympathize with, and the questions you’ll be left with at the end of the show.
It’s certainly an interesting idea, but given this means that there are more than 5,000 ways to watch the show, it can be a bit tricky to work out where to start. So while there is no ‘correct’ way to watch the show, we’ve broken down how you can watch the show in chronological order, as well as a few other recommended routes.
How to watch Kaleidoscope in chronological order
- 'Violet': 24 years before
- 'Green': 7 years before
- 'Yellow': 6 weeks before
- 'Orange': 3 weeks before
- 'Blue': 5 days before
- 'White': The heist
- 'Red': The morning after
- 'Pink': 6 months after
Kaleidoscope takes place over 25 years of its characters’ lives so if you want to watch all the events in order, this is the best way to do it. The series, written by Eric Garcia, is all about a major heist organized by Leo Pap (played by Giancarlo Esposito). He recruits a band of criminals, chosen for their areas of expertise, to rob the most secure vault on the East Coast of America.
This order is probably the most straightforward way to tackle the series. However, it is also probably the option with the least amount of mystery as you’ll find out the characters’ histories from the start.
Also, just a warning about this order too: the events of 'White' technically take place before the events of 'Red' and 'Pink’, which is why we’ve placed it earlier in the order. However, if you follow the creator’s wishes, 'White' should be the series finale, so you might want to switch this up a bit.
How to watch Kaleidoscope as a detective story
- 'Orange': 3 weeks before
- 'Green': 7 years before
- 'Violet': 24 years before
- 'Red': The morning after
- 'Yellow': 6 weeks before
- 'Blue': 5 days before
- 'White': The heist
- 'Pink': 6 months after
Courtesy of Netflix, this is one of the easiest ways to watch the show as a classic detective story. This means not all of the revelations about the characters are unveiled from the beginning. But, you’re still getting the gist of the chronological storytelling, for the most part.
How to watch Kaleidoscope in reverse order
- 'Pink': 6 months after
- 'Red': The morning after
- 'White': The heist
- 'Blue': 5 days before
- 'Orange': 3 weeks before
- 'Yellow': 6 weeks before
- 'Green': 7 years before
- ‘Violet’: 24 years before
If you’re really looking to jumble up the narrative, watching it in reverse could be an interesting way to tackle it. This way around, you’ll be finding out all the clues after you’ve seen how it ends up.
How to watch Kaleidoscope as a Tarantino movie
- 'Blue': 5 days before
- 'Green': 7 years before
- 'Yellow': 6 weeks before
- 'Orange': 3 weeks before
- 'Violet': 24 years before
- 'Pink': 6 months after
- 'White': The heist
- 'Red': The morning after
Another Netflix suggestion is to watch the show as if it were a Quentin Tarantino movie. While they didn’t expand on exactly what this means, this version sees the show skipping back and forth in time, and doesn’t obey the creator’s wish to end with 'White'.
How to watch Kaleidoscope in Netflix’s randomized order
One easy randomized way to view the show is to watch it in the order Netflix assigned you. Every subscriber gets the show in a different order on their account, apart from the finale always being the episode 'White'. This will guarantee a unique experience but could lead to some odd combinations.
For what else to stream, check out our guides to the best Netflix shows and the best Netflix movies.
