You know how it feels like virtually every piece of television or film has to have some sort of disclaimer in the news before its release saying “based on a true story”? It’s almost as if the creators of fiction believe it gives more credence to their plot if they can say it’s realistic enough to have taken place in real life.

Netflix’s creative new heist-thriller Kaleidoscope is joining in on this recurring theme of supposed-realism. The show tells the story of a criminal team of thieves who attempt to break into a vault holding billions of dollars in bearer bonds. Viewers are all given a different order to watch the episodes in, encouraging people to come at the series from a different perspective from their streaming peers. The show always ends with the point of this whole shebang: the heist itself.

Perhaps because the narrative sounds pretty far-fetched and unrealistic,...