We admit it; The Big Bang Theory - a show many of you have told us to cover more often, we have to admit - won our affection this week not because of their DC Comics references (although the Battle For The Cowl Batman geekout did make DC Comics editor Janelle Siegel very happy), but because show creator Chuck Lorre said no to the CBS "suggestion" that they incorporate references to the upcoming movie X-Men Origins: Wolverine in an episode, according to Variety:

Insiders said CBS had originally sealed an integration deal with the 20th Century Fox film studio to include "Wolverine" in an episode of "The Big Bang Theory."

"Big Bang," after all, revolves around the exact kind of characters who would be first in line to see an "X-Men" movie. But according to one source, "Big Bang" exec producer Chuck Lorre passed on incorporating "Wolverine" into the show.

But before we get too happy about Lorre's apparent standing up for artistic integrity, please remember that Theory is produced by Warner Bros., who owns Wolverine owner Marvel Comics' biggest rival, DC... thereby explaining a comic store where almost every product apparently belonged to DC. Still, at least they managed to sneak in a little bitchiness about DC's alleged insularness. And 20th Century Fox wasn't too upset about the refusal; they just pushed the Wolverine references into the show following Theory, How I Met Your Mother... which happens to be made by their sister company, 20th Century Fox Television.

Now all we need to do is work out why every comic store in Heroes only seems to sell old Marvel Comics from the '90s (I sense a Jeph Loeb connection, considering the show's former producer also happens to write for the publisher)...

'Mother' tends to Fox sibling [Variety]

Variety reported Monday that CBS has given an order for the "back five" episodes of the season - bringing the season total to eighteen episodes, instead of the more common twenty-two. The reason for the shorter season, according to the report, is the network's unhappiness at the show's lack of success in holding onto the audience of CSI, the show that precedes it on Thursday evenings. Despite this, Eleventh Hour is the second most popular new show on television this season (The Mentalist is #1), with 12 million viewers on average each episode... making the Eye Network look more than a little stingy in shorting on the season.

CBS extends 'Eleventh Hour' [Variety]

The Butterfly Effect series - announced way back in 2006 - wasn't actually intended for Fox, but for the Sci Fi Channel, and would have ditched a lot of the emo baggage of 2004's "Time Travel Can Leave You With No Legs" drama in favor of a more Quantum Leap-esque take on the concept, only without Al and Ziggy. As the series got bogged down in pre-production, Benderspink tried to raise the concept's profile with a direct to DVD sequel that only disappointed fans of the first movie (Apparently, they didn't learn their lesson, as there are plans for a third movie being made right now).

It's not clear whether or not Benderspink's CBS deal includes all the shows that were being developed with Fox, but if it does, we have one clear message to send: No-one wants to see someone travel backwards through their life thanks to cosmic seizures with each trip making their life shittier every week, thank you very much. Unless it's done as a broad comedy and stars the guy who played Hyde from That 70s Show, giving it some consistency with the original movie. Otherwise, let it suffer the same fate as Benderspink's planned Preacher show.

Benderspink segues to CBS Par TV [Hollywood Reporter]