There's one other aspect of this story apart from the obvious I'm surprised no one has noted.
Apparently, you can completely steal the concept and distinctive visual shorthand of a television show -- against all logic and sense -- and get away with this laziness and lack of creative effort by having the characters mention the original source over and over again so you can call it "homage."
Yes, Byrne would make the argument that this was not plagiarism -- passing the ideas of another off as his own -- because how could it be when he repeatedly acknowledges the original source? But I don't call this plagiarism. I just call it outrageous hackery.