In “That Alien, Sound,” the debut feature from writer/director/editor Brando Topp, a young woman named Mika (Mia Danelle) becomes possessed by a soundwave that’s been floating around in outer space.

Dropping a tribute to Ridley Scott’s 1979 “Alien” halfway through his franchise-expanding series wasn’t easy. But Noah Hawley just had to do it. “The show was already a huge lift, and then to sort of ...