Netflix is starting New Year’s Day with a “hell of a show,” says Emmy-award-winning actor Giancarlo Esposito (Breaking Bad, The Usual Suspects), via an interview with TV Line. The show in question is the anticipated drama series Kaleidoscope, formerly called Jigsaw.
Per Netflix, the premise for the crime series is “a master thief and his crew attempt an epic and elaborate heist worth $7 billion dollars — but betrayal, greed and other threats undermine their plans.”
Esposito says to TV Line, “It’s so character-driven, because you get involved with each character, and each character is informed by a dream, something that they hoped would come to fruition by taking a part in this… You have the ability to root for all these different characters for different reasons, because you may see yourself in one of them, and that is a tantalizing and very delicious element of our piece.”
A first look at the show was teased in November. Deadline described it as “loosely inspired by the real-life story where seventy billion dollars in bonds went missing in downtown Manhattan during Hurricane Sandy. It consists of eight episodes spanning from 24 years before the heist to 6 months after.” The series differs from other Netflix shows in its non-linear storytelling, save for an introduction called “Black” – the episodes are named after colors (“Yellow: 6 Weeks Before,” “Green: 7 Years Before,” “Blue: 5 Days Before,” “Violet: 24 Years Before,” “Orange: 3 Weeks Before,” “Red: The Morning After,” and “Pink: 6 Months After,”) and can be viewed in any order. The objective is to provide a unique perspective of the characters, plot, and story through each viewer’s eyes. Only the finale episode, titled “White: The Heist,” will reveal all the answers.
Esposito also revealed his thoughts on the unique approach: “I think it allows [viewers] not to be in their comfort zone. When we watch things, we kind of have an idea of how it’ll turn out, how it’ll end, what’s going to happen, so I like the idea of being taken out of your comfort zone, because I think that allows you to be more attentive. You’ve got to watch this thing closely, and I imagine you will, because little things happen which you don’t think might be clues, but are. So, I think the randomized order allows your brain to be purposefully scrambled a bit, so that you’re paying more attention. This is not a show where you’re going to get up and wash the dishes, do other things while you’re watching it. There’s so much to watch.”
The thriller was created by Eric Garcia (Strange But True, Alexa & Katie). The cast includes Rufus Sewell (Judy, Dark City), Tati Gabrielle (Uncharted, Chilling Adventures of Sabrina), and Paz Vega (Spanglish, 10 Items or Less), among others.
Kaleidoscope will premiere on January 1st, 2023, exclusively on Netflix. The official trailer is available to watch below.