Expanding the ever-growing Alien universe with fresh layers of depth and nuance, the first two episodes — “Neverland” and “Mr. October”— are packed with references, Easter eggs, and subtle callbacks to previous films, along with clever nods to other corners of pop culture.

Alien: Earth, the new Alien television series on FX and Hulu from executive producer Noah Hawley ( Fargo, Legion ), makes an unusual reference to an unusual piece of pop culture: the Ice Age movies—specifically the 2012 sequel, Ice Age: Continental Drift.