I don't see any way any union could stop the Amnets from airing shows that are already shot, whether in Canada or elsewhere.

As to new shows, I'm not sure what the rules are. But if the strike vote is only for the American union, I doubt it would affect production up here. As the Variety article notes, it would prevent anyone from helming a camera in the U.S. 

That's not where we live, so I doubt we would be affected, unless there was some sort of solidarity movement at work. But it seems unlikely. 

I remember the 2007 writers strike, it lead to shortened seasons for quite a few shows, or very long gaps between new episodes. The first season of The Big Bang Theory had only aired a handful of episodes before it was put on hiatus for a few months. Family Guy had a shortened Season 6.

MJ Vancouver wrote:

paterson1 wrote:

This would be like the other strikes over the years.  If it drags on and starts preventing any new material getting to air, they likely will look at buying some Canadian programming again, as well as product from the UK and Australia.  NBC hasn't cancelled Nurses for season two, so this would be a show they could air. They also have Transplant for season two.   Murdoch Mysteries would be prime for a US OTA network  and maybe CTV's Cardinal which was popular on BBC in the UK.
 
Can't see established US shows getting produced here.  It would need to be a long, long strike before that would even be thought about and the unions and producers wouldn't want to deal with something like that.  It would just create more problems. The US networks could also cherry pick programming from their streaming services to help fill some of the schedule, maybe more live sports in prime time.   However, if there is a strike, this would hurt their already miserable prime time ratings.       

If CBC’s new show Strays gains any traction, that could also be an option.

Although it’s obviously set in Canada, that didn’t stop Kim’s Convenience from being popular on Netflix in the US.

Yes, I think the hurdle of a series being set in Canada is past, for TV south of the border, or anywhere for that matter.  Transplant, Nurses, Flashpoint, Rookie Blue, Saving Hope, Orphan Black, Coroner, The Listener, Motive and many others were all set in Canada and shown on US network TV.  For streaming services and secondary networks like ION or The CW  I don't think it was ever an issue.  The hardest country for Canadian programming to win over seems to be here.  And it's not so much the public in my opinion, but the traditionally poor scheduling by our private networks who like to bounce Canadian prime time programming around or give them poor timeslots.

It's unlikely that Canadian production workers would be willing to work as scabs to replace their US brethren.

The vote is in - and even by union measures, it's massive. With a 100% turnout, members of IATSE voted 98% in favour of a strike if necessary. That's overwhelming. 

But your favourite shows won't be shutting down just yet. There are at least three weeks of negotiations before the cameras stop rolling. And even then, some will continue.

From AV Club:

"...the strike would not necessarily apply to productions happening out of New York or for premium cable networks like HBO, Showtime, and Starz, because those are all part of separate union agreements.

So if a strike gets called and you’re a camera operator for a CBS or Netflix show, you would stop working. But if you’re a camera operator on an HBO show, you would not."

Unless they opt for a total walkout. But it does not appear that production in Canada would be affected, so shows made in Toronto and B.C. are likely to continue. Still, the networks and many streaming services could eventually run out of new programs if any walkout lingers.  And that's when you might see Canadian shows, older streaming programs and unknown series from England and Australia showing up in primetime. 

If it happens, this will be the largest showbiz-related strike since WWII, the last time in 1945, engendering some violent clashes outside the studios themselves. (I'd say it was like something out of a movie, except those who might be filming it were all out on the picket line!)

Writers walked out for 14 weeks in 2007, leaving only talk shows and reality programs - or previously submitted scripts - in production. Normally this kind of thing wouldn't get talked about much here, but it could be a very strange and very interesting fall on TV if worse comes to worst. 

Stay tuned. Not that there might be all that much to stay tuned for!

IATSE Strike Vote Results Are an Overwhelming Yes: What Happens Next