[Mike Lang]

If you read the rules, they're talking about the "official show thread." Any UK airing before a US airing of a show that gets a thread just won't be the "official show thread" but can still be created and still contain discussion.

No, official episode thread means the only thread for that episode. Early threads, even for US shows, are locked/removed. We'll be keeping an eye on the area and keep the UK TV Talk area in mind.
Thanks