The prospect of a prolonged WGA strike killing the U.S. network TV pilot season is sending shudders throughout the Canadian production sector, as work continues to slow in service-heavy centers such as Toronto and Vancouver.

Ken Ferguson, president of Toronto Film Studios, says calls with L.A. producers have landed the J.J. Abrams pilot Fringe, for Warner Bros., in his facility, and little else, so far.

‘I’m only aware of the one. It may be a quiet pilot season for us,’ he tells Playback Daily.

The writers/studio standoff, now in its tenth week, has put U.S. network pilot production in jeopardy in 2008, hitting Vancouver — which is more reliant on American TV series for business — especially hard.

‘We’re sitting on the sidelines and hoping [the strike] resolves itself. It’s something we have no control over, but it certainly has a major impact on our business,’ says Peter Leitch, president of Vancouver-based North Shore Studios and Mammoth Studios.

Vancouver studios have already been impacted by existing TV series that halted production after burning through their available scripts.

Leitch says producers with a script in hand can go ahead and shoot a pilot. But the WGA strike has already canceled the winter tour of the Television Critics Association and has put the May upfronts in peril, so the prospect of U.S. networks ordering series for their fall 2008/09 seasons also looks cloudy.

On that score, Ferguson hopes U.S. pilots that do shoot in Canada feature no-name casts.

‘Pilots that shoot in Canada may remain here when they snag a broadcast order. And that prospect tends to fade when A-list cast demand to be closer to Los Angeles,’ he added.

On the guild side, ACTRA anticipates less work for its membership if fewer U.S. pilots are shot here in 2008.

‘I imagine there will be a decrease if the strike continues. There’s potentially fewer pilots,’ says Stephen Waddell, national executive director of the union, which represents around 21,000 domestic performers.

Canada could get a break if individual studios like Lionsgate successfully negotiate side deals with the WGA. But the consensus is that an industry-wide settlement, rather than side deals, will serve the Canadian production sector best.

‘We’d like to see an overall settlement. That’s the cleanest scenario. Making side settlements looks like a long and tedious process, and drags it out,’ says Leitch.