Money Heist vs. Kaleidoscope: Which Is the Better Heist Show?

Netflix isn’t a stranger to heist shows, as we’ve seen that in the form of Money Heist and Kaleidoscope, which are both shows that focus on the characters and their quest to pull off the heist of the century and hopefully come out of it with billions in their pockets. Of course, both Money Heist and Kaleidoscope have their own unique storylines and formats. But which between Money Heist and Kaleidoscope is the better heist show?

At this point, Money Heist seems to be the better heist show compared to Kaleidoscope because it has the numbers and the viewership to back its success up. While Kaleidoscope is actually great in terms of its story and format, it is yet to reach the height of success that Money Heist has been known for.

There are a lot of different things to love about Money Heist and Kaleidoscope, and you can watch both of them without necessarily hating one. But, at this point, we do believe that Money Heist is the better heist series when compared to Kaleidoscope. Still, there is no problem preferring one over the other as they are both great shows that you can enjoy without putting the other down.

Money Heist Is More Intelligently Crafted

One of the things that make Money Heist so intriguing to a lot of fans is the fact that it was seemingly crafted carefully and more intelligently. Of course, the reason why it appears to be very intelligently crafted is the fact that it focuses on a man called the Professor and the different plans that he carefully laid out to pull off the heist of the century. Everything that the Professor planned out seems to have been calculated, as the things that happened during the heist itself were within his expectations. Even the ones that were seemingly unsuspected were also calculated by the mastermind himself, and that’s why Money Heist seems to be quite interesting to fans.

Of course, while Kaleidoscope itself is also intelligently crafted and includes characters that are quite intelligent and cunning in their own right, the fact is that it focuses more on carefully crafted plans that the different characters worked on together using their individual skills and specialties. In that regard, the intelligence of Kaleidoscope lies in the fact that all of the characters know what they are doing and have their own specific roles that are clear to them despite the fact that, like all heists, we have a central mastermind.

Kaleidoscope’s Pacing Is Better

One of the things that people actually didn’t like about Money Heist was its pacing, as we saw the entire storyline getting stretched to 23 episodes over the course of several seasons. As such, it does have a slower pacing that tends to bore some fans that only look to focus on the action and the progression of the storyline. Nevertheless, while Money Heist may be on the slower side in terms of its pacing, every single scene in the series contributes to the overall drama and intensity of the series.

Kaleidoscope, on the other hand, tends to be better-paced due to the fact that the series doesn’t get stuck on certain scenes. The story progresses really well in Kaleidoscope, as we see a storyline that actually takes place over the course of several years. Days seem to pass pretty quickly so that we get to see the individual backstories and storylines of the characters. This allows you to see the story progressing faster instead.

Money Heist Is More Intense And Dramatic

There is no doubt that Money Heist is favored by a lot of fans due to how intense and dramatic it can be. From the very start of the heist up to the end of it, the intensity was always high, and intense and dramatic scenes have always been staple parts of Spanish television shows. Of course, the intensity and drama surrounding Money Heist extend to the characters, who also have their own fair share of intense and dramatic scenes. And it is the dynamic between the characters that allow us to see just how intense Money Heist can be, especially when it comes to the scenes where they actually go at each other’s throats whenever they disagree on certain things.

Kaleidoscope is a crime drama series that also has its own fair share of intensity and drama, and that means that fans of the genre should still be able to enjoy it really well. But the thing about Kaleidoscope is that the intensity and drama tend to be well-paced and are not as apparent as in Money Heist. There are plenty of lighthearted and somewhat comedic scenes in Kaleidoscope as well, but the highs and lows tend to be quite well-paced compared to other heist shows.

Kaleidoscope Is More Realistic

Despite the fact that Money Heist has always been known for its intelligent storytelling and complicated strategies, the one thing that some fans have a problem with is the fact that it isn’t necessarily very realistic. That’s because almost everything that happens in the series seems to be within the calculations of the Professor, as it doesn’t seem likely that he is capable of predicting the actions of the different people involved in the heist. In that regard, the series might be a bit too intelligent for its own good as there are some factors that seem to be impossible to predict but were still within the calculations of the series mastermind.

Kaleidoscope includes a lot of different characters that are flawed in their own ways. In a sense, the individuals in the entire storyline are all quite human due to how they have personal demons and flaws that they seek to overcome against the backdrop of the heist that they are planning to pull off. Of course, the characters also have their own personal agendas and motives in the grander scheme of things. And even the heist itself is one that needed years of careful planning and preparation to pull off, as that is where the realistic aspect of the heist comes in.

Money Heist Has The Numbers To Back It Up

Not a lot of people know this, but Money Heist is one of the most successful shows in the streaming era. That’s because the series is fifth all-time in viewership out of all of the shows that you can watch on Netflix, as it trails only Squid Game, Stranger Things, Wednesday, and Dahmer. Meanwhile, out of all of the international shows on Netflix, Money Heist is second only to Squid Game in terms of its popularity. That means that this series has a lot of fans all over the world and is a tried and tested product that has numbers that speak for themselves.

Kaleidoscope is on the newer end of the viewership scale due to how it is one of the newest releases on Netflix. That means that it still is racking up numbers and is trying to catch up to the success of the different Netflix shows that came before it. In that regard, we can’t say for sure how many viewers and seasons the series will have somewhere down the line, but the thing that we can say is that it’s going to take a lot for Kaleidoscope to catch up to the success of Money Heist.

Money Heist vs. Kaleidoscope: Which Is The Better Heist Show?

Both Money Heist and Kaleidoscope are great and unique in their own right because they aren’t clones of one another and aren’t exactly the same in terms of their storylines and themes. But the thing is that heists are always about the numbers, regardless of whether we are talking about the money involved or the number of people that watch these shows.

So, while Kaleidoscope has a unique way of telling a heist story, the fact is that Money Heist has the numbers that back up its success. Some fans may prefer the storytelling and pacing of Kaleidoscope but it is hard to contend against the success of Money Heist. As such, as long as Money Heist has the numbers to back up its success, then we are leaning toward it being better than Kaleidoscope.