kaleidoscope netflix true story real events hurricane sandy
Paz Vega and Giancarlo Esposito in Kaleidoscope / Image: David Scott Holloway/Netflix

The True Story and Real Events Behind Kaleidoscope on Netflix

The new year will bring with it a series unlike any other on Netflix in Kaleidoscope. Audiences are encouraged to watch the eight episodes that make up the crime drama in any order they like, dipping into the action taking place on screen at different moments in time. What some may be shocked to discover after watching, however, is that the events of Kaleidoscope are loosely based on real events. Here is the true story behind the upcoming series.

Is Netflix series Kaleidoscope based on a true story?

kaleidoscope netflix true story real events hurricane sandy
Rosaline Elbay, Jai Courtney, and Peter Mark Kendall in Kaleidoscope / Image: Courtesy of Netflix

Real events from over a decade ago inspired those that take place in Kaleidoscope. What goes on in the new TV show is very different to the truth of the matter, however, in that an estimated seventy billion dollars in bonds went missing during Hurricane Sandy simply because of the ferocity of the destructive hurricane.

Downtown Manhattan played host to three once-secret vaults, which contained $39.5 trillion of stocks and bonds. No official value of that which was threatened by the flooding caused by Hurricane Sandy was ever given, but despite the vast amount that was predictably lost, this still made up just a small percentage of the overall amount being stored.

Of course, all of this wouldn’t make for a very exciting crime series, so audiences should expect a bit more drama and eccentricity from Kaleidoscope. Creator Eric Garcia worked on the series alongside executive producer Russell Fine, with a plot that spans 25 years. It follows a group of thieves as they attempt a $7 billion heist, but greed and a thirst for power may get in the way of their success.

Giancarlo Esposito stars in the series alongside Jai Courtney, Paz Vega, Rufus Sewell, Tati Gabrielle, Peter Mark Kendall, Rosaline Elbay, Niousha Noor, Jordan Mendoza, Soojeong Son, and Hemky Madera. Kaleidoscope is available to stream on Netflix in its entirety from January 1, 2023.

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