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Parents' Guide to

Kaleidoscope

By Marty Brown, Common Sense Media Reviewer

age 14+

Nonlinear heist drama has drugs, violence, language.

TV Netflix Drama 2023
Kaleidoscope: poster

A Lot or a Little?

What you will—and won't—find in this TV show.

Community Reviews

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age 12+

Based on 1 parent review

Emma H.
Emma H. Parent of 8, 10 and 13-year-old
January 10, 2023
age 12+

Amazingly creative show

I would highly recommend this for young teens who LOVE drama because if they don't what's the point I mean if they watch it for Gus from breaking bad it's their choice but I think it has great messages on trust and royalty the only downside is the violence and I mean unless you care so much if your kids hear the F words it's fine as all the YouTube they watch has cursing anyways...
See all 1 parent review

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?

Our review:
Parents say (1 ):
Kids say (1 ):

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

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 suggesting a diversity update.

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