Common Sense Media Review
By Marty Brown
,
based on child development research. How do we rate?
Nonlinear heist drama has drugs, violence, language.
Parents Need to Know
Why Age 14+?
Any Positive Content?
Where to Watch
Videos and Photos
Kaleidoscope
What's the Story?
Kaleidoscope tells the story of a jewelry heist. But first, it tells the story of everything leading up to and following the big event. Ray Vernon (Giancarlo Esposito) is an aging con who puts a team together to rip off his old friend Graham Davies (Rufus Sewell). But when things start to go wrong, they suspect that someone on the team is leaking information.
Is It Any Good?
Any great show that leads with an ingenious gimmick needs to back it up with an even more ingenious story, and this one doesn't quite get there. The trouble with Kaleidoscope's randomized episode order is that it doesn't actually make up for the fact that the heist at its center is fairly routine. Even the things that are exciting about this type of nonlinear plot, like seeing characters show up in unexpected ways, could have been achieved without the randomizer, which makes the gimmick here feel more like a marketing trick than a storytelling one.
Talk to Your Kids About ...
Families can talk about the structure. How does Kaleidoscope use nonlinear storytelling? What does this technique allow the story to do that wouldn't otherwise be possible? How effective is it?
How does your opinion of the characters change when you see them at different times in the story? Do you change your opinion of anyone as the series unfolds? How does the structure let you get to know characters differently than in a linear story?
How does Kaleidoscope fit into the heist genre? What is unique about heist stories? How interesting are the heists in Kaleidoscope? Do they live up to the hype?
TV Details
- Premiere date : January 1, 2023
- Cast : Giancarlo Esposito , Rufus Sewell , Paz Vega
- Network : Netflix
- Genre : Drama
- TV rating :
- Last updated : January 13, 2023
Did we miss something on diversity?
Research shows a connection between kids' healthy self-esteem and positive portrayals in media. That's why we've added a new "Diverse Representations" section to our reviews that will be rolling out on an ongoing basis. You can help us help kids by
Suggest an Update
Common Sense Media's unbiased ratings are created by expert reviewers and aren't influenced by the product's creators or by any of our funders, affiliates, or partners.
See how we rate