Canadian producers are quietly salivating at the prospect of U.S. networks buying their strike-proof shows during a prolonged WGA strike.

‘The longer the [writers] strike lasts, the more likely that those kinds of shows will get picked up by U.S. broadcasters. The odds are good, and continue to grow in our favor — if you develop a show outside the U.S.,’ says John Morayniss, chairman and CEO of Blueprint Entertainment.

He adds that U.S. series with banked scripts have already begun shutting down earlier than expected in Los Angeles as conflicted showrunners side with the writers.

The U.S. sitcoms affected to date include Fox’s Back to You and ‘Til Death, and CBS’ Rules of Engagement, all shut down for lack of gag writers close at hand on set.

Against that backdrop, Morayniss insists a producer with the right ‘strike-proof’ property with the right talent can possibly entice a U.S. network to take a flyer on a Canadian show — but only if it can air on either side of the border.

‘There’s a heightened level of interest among broadcasters to look at pilots, scripts in development and series in production that may be suitable for airing in the U.S.,’ he argues.

However, the L.A.-based exec adds that the opportunities for his Canadian company to land a series on a U.S. network are best ‘when the economy is robust and there’s no labor unrest.’

That’s a sentiment shared by Guy Mayson, president and CEO of the CFTPA. He agrees a prolonged Hollywood shutdown has given a jolt of hope to Canadian producers for a U.S. network sale.

Many watched enviously at MIPCOM as British producer Power sold its $35-million drama Robinson Crusoe to NBC, with the U.S. network paying around $10 million for 13 episodes and the British telefilm producer retaining worldwide distribution rights, excluding the U.S.

But Mayson adds that Canadian producers would prefer labor peace in Los Angeles to ensure stability in Hollywood North.

‘We’re not interfering or playing into anything. Ideally, we’d like to see labor harmony,’ he says.

Alternatively, whether more homegrown dramas land on Canadian primetime schedules during the U.S. writers strike may well go down to whether industry giants CTV and Global Television see new business models emerging during the current strike.

Barbara Williams, SVP of programming and production for CanWest MediaWorks, says it is logical that conversations about opportunistic Canadian shows replacing American reruns are ‘bubbling’ during the current U.S. writers strike. But she cautions that it is too early to gauge the dispute’s length and impact on the U.S. networks.

Williams does, however, indicate that the best opportunities may land with Canadian producers who work collaboratively with American producers to deliver shows that work on both sides of the border.

‘If there was ever going to be an opportunity for product to move in a southerly direction, this [writers strike] might be the impetus for it. And we’re probably more ready for it than we’ve ever been as a production community,’ she says.

CTV’s Louise Clark agrees, but insists the U.S. writers strike is shining a light on an already-established trend: homegrown shows like Whistler and Degrassi: The Next Generation securing financing and slots north and south of the border.

‘This is not a product of the strike,’ Clark says.

She adds that there’s always a hope — but only a faint one — that a U.S. network, rather than an American cable channel, will back and air a Canadian show. ‘It is a possibility. But it does feel like a lot of speculation at this point,’ Clark says.

But long odds are good enough for Shaftesbury Films’ Christina Jennings, who sees the greatest opportunity in the short term from the WGA action in selling finished product to a major network. For example, Granada International, which is stickhandling international sales of Shaftesbury’s Murdoch Mysteries drama, comprising 13 one-hours, has ensured the project is on every U.S. network’s desk.

Longer term, Jennings points to NBC’s pickup of Robinson Crusoe as proof that the networks are eyeing new business models that could include Canadian partners down the road.

‘We Canadian producers have been clever at partnering up to get our shows made. The American [networks] have never had that model. They just did it all themselves. That’s changing,’ she says.

Mary Darling, executive producer of Little Mosque on the Prairie, says a decision to delay a U.S. sale of her series, despite a host of offers from stateside broadcasters, will pay off ‘now that inventory of quality programming is sure to be in higher demand’ in the wake of the U.S. writers strike.

‘A prized location has always been our goal for the series,’ Darling said from New York, where she and fellow producers of Little Mosque on Tuesday night received a Common Ground award.