This article contains minor character or plot details.
Easter is a time for celebration, family, and chocolate bunnies. But the main event is often an Easter egg hunt where kids (and kids at heart) grab their baskets and race to find hidden eggs, whether hard-boiled and dyed or candy-filled and plastic.
But there’s another kind of egg hunt meant just for the pop culture enthusiasts of this world. The term “Easter egg” denotes a secret hidden reference in a movie or TV show that’s a treat for the die-hard fans who find it. Easter eggs are like a gift, lovingly placed by creators to add an extra layer to a scene. Finding them feels like being invited into an inside joke or a moment of connection with the filmmakers, costume designers, set designers, and other production geniuses who cook them up.
We’ve egg-sposed (sorry) a few of the best Easter eggs in some of Netflix’s biggest titles. So why not go on a different kind of egg hunt for Easter and see if you can find these special, yolk-free hidden treasures?
BEEF
Philosophers, deep readers, and classic-film enthusiasts will appreciate the intricate meanings behind the episode titles in BEEF Season 1. For instance, Episode 1, “The Birds Don’t Sing, They Screech in Pain,” references a particularly profound remark from famed filmmaker Werner Herzog in Les Blank’s 1982 documentary film Burden of Dreams. Once you watch the episode — where the main characters, Danny (Steven Yeun) and Amy (Ali Wong), unleash some majorly pent-up rage while maintaining a calm exterior in front of their loved ones — it all makes sense.
Bridgerton
With four detail-filled seasons to choose from — and a fifth on the way — it’s hard to narrow it down to just one of the many treats included in this series. Even picking up on every instrumental pop song cover is a fun game all its own. In the most recent season, Benedict (Luke Thompson) and Sophie (Yerin Ha) navigate a challenging love story, but eventually get their happily-ever-after. In the season’s final scene, the two wed at My Cottage, surrounded by family and friends. There are plenty of gorgeous gowns and handsome suits to distract in the scene, but the detail-oriented fans may notice that Benedict has a pin on his cravat: a tiny portrait of a kite, hearkening back to a scene in Episode 3 where their romance bloomed as they shared a lighthearted moment outdoors.
Happy Gilmore 2
One upside to having to wait almost 30 years for a sequel to a beloved comedy film is that fans’ nostalgia demands references to the original film. And Happy Gilmore 2 gives the fans exactly what they want. Quite a few of the film’s original actors reprise their roles, but considering the time jump, it made sense for certain beloved characters’ children to carry on their legacy. Chubbs (Carl Weathers) was Happy’s (Adam Sandler) mentor in the first film, and though his character passed away — as did Weathers in 2024 — he still gets the nod he deserves in the new film. In addition to a few flashbacks and memorable quotes, Chubbs’s son, Slim Peterson (Lavell Crawford), emulates his father by motivating Happy, even down to a handshake with a fake wooden hand, just like his father’s.
KPop Demon Hunters
K-pop fans have ample reasons to love the movie phenom that has put their favorite genre at the forefront of pop culture this past year — especially since that movie pays its respects to K-pop royalty. The world of HUNTR/X may be fairly supernatural in nature, with demons and demon hunters vying for the souls of humanity, but in addition to the very real, very yummy Korean snacks included in the movie, there are also a couple of references to some real-life K-pop groups. At the Idol Awards, Bobby (Ken Jeong) runs through the hallway passing posters for two iconic K-pop bands: TWICE and MEOVV. (Members of TWICE even contribute to the soundtrack on their version of “Takedown.”)
Nobody Wants This
Those who live in LA are given plenty of point-at-the-screen moments in this comedy series set in the sunny city. The series does a great job of highlighting Los Angeles’s fashion as well. One fashion reference fans may have caught in Episode 6 of Season 2 is actually a throwback specific to the actor. Stephanie Faracy plays Joanne’s (Kristen Bell) mother, Lynn, and in this episode, Lynn attends a Purim costume party where she wears Madonna’s iconic cone bra outfit from her 1990 Blonde Ambition tour. Those who know Faracy from her other roles may have made the connection that this isn’t her first time wearing this exact costume: She also wore this same outfit in the 1993 Disney film Hocus Pocus.
Red Notice
This action-packed heist film starring Gal Gadot, Dwayne Johnson, and Ryan Reynolds has plenty of nerdy references from Titanic to Star Wars. But the film ends with a nod to the genre-defining franchise that has become the gold standard for action films. In the film’s final scene, Gadot’s Sarah “The Bishop” Black has a classic James Bond moment, emerging from the shimmering water at sunset onto a luxurious yacht. At least 11 James Bond films have ended on boats, putting Red Notice in good company among classy action films.
Stranger Things
Stranger Things was born out of a love for 1980s sci-fi, so from the very first episode it’s been chock-full of Easter eggs referencing the decade’s biggest hits. This is especially evident in the characters’ costumes and hairstyles. For instance, in Season 5, Will (Noah Schnapp) comes into his own and trades his classic bowl cut for a shorter style that embraces his natural waves, symbolizing his self-acceptance. But perhaps no one gets as badass a look as Nancy (Natalia Dyer), whose rock-n-roll layered curls are directly inspired by Sigourney Weaver’s kinetic style in the sci-fi action film Alien.
Squid Game
With its deeply Korean themes and cultural references — the most obvious being Korean children’s games — some of the clever references in this high-stakes thriller series can be hard to spot. But anyone with an attentive eye may have noticed in each season that the dorm room where the contestants sleep has an Easter egg hidden in plain sight. As contestants die with each new challenge, the room where they sleep has fewer and fewer beds. This reveals more of the wall behind the beds, where, all along, murals depicting the game’s challenges are on display. Players — and viewers — could have predicted what was coming all along.
The Umbrella Academy
In a show that features time travel, superpowers, alternate timelines, and post-apocalyptic landscapes, there is plenty of opportunity for hidden details. Executive producer Steve Blackman points out references to the original comic book series, callbacks to earlier seasons, and even clues to greater story arcs that were there all along. A fun pop culture reference in the series concerns the creator of the original comic books, Gerard Way, who is also the lead singer of the popular band My Chemical Romance. In a fun nod to the creator, Sloane (Genesis Rodriguez) is seen reading a book titled The Jetset Life in Season 4, which is a reference to a popular My Chemical Romance song.
Wake Up Dead Man: A Knives Out Mystery
Rian Johnson loves a mystery and Easter eggs are just one more layer to his cryptic Knives Out films. But he also has a sense of humor. You may recall in Glass Onion: A Knives Out Mystery, which has plenty of Easter eggs of its own, Benoit Blanc (Daniel Craig) tries a particularly spicy hot sauce while at Miles Bron’s (Edward Norton) island home, and Miles informs him it’s “Jeremy Renner’s small-batch hot sauce.” Fast-forward to Wake Up Dead Man: A Knives Out Mystery, in which actor Jeremy Renner himself plays Dr. Nat Sharp, and Johnson knew he had to include the joke. At the Il Diavolo pizza restaurant, where Nat often drinks away his marital troubles, Johnson made sure to plant a bottle of the hot sauce on the shelves.
Wednesday
As a series inspired by a movie inspired by a show inspired by a drawn comic, the Easter egg opportunities on Wednesday are abundant. Here’s 50 for you in Season 2 alone. But one that might require a closer look in Season 1 refers to a fan-favorite character first introduced in the 1960s TV show. This character has yet to appear on camera on Wednesday, but when our favorite Evermore student discovers the Nightshade Society in Season 1, she opens the entrance to their secret meeting spot with two snaps of her fingers (referencing the TV show theme song) and descends the stairs where a slew of portraits line the walls, including one of her own hairy family member, Cousin Itt.
The Witcher
Another series that originates from multiple media franchises, both video games and books, The Witcher loves to give its most devoted fans details that only they might catch. One interesting Easter egg for fans new or old to be on the lookout for concerns Jaskier (Joey Batey), the singing bard and friend to Geralt (Henry Cavill in Seasons 1–3, Liam Hemsworth in Season 4). Batey has stated that he likes to switch up Jaskier’s musical persona each season. He chose David Bowie for Season 1, Freddie Mercury for Season 2, and John Lennon for Season 3.
