ESPN's Original Series "Setting the Tempo" Chronicles the Launch of the Toronto Tempo

The Toronto Tempo are making history as the WNBA's first Canadian franchise, and ESPN is taking viewers behind the scenes of the team's journey from an idea to the basketball court. Setting the Tempo, a new four-part ESPN Original Series, will chronicle the creation and launch of the franchise as its inaugural season gets underway.

What’s Happening:

Setting the Tempo will premiere Sunday, September 20, with all four episodes available to stream on the ESPN App and Disney+. The series will also make its linear debut that evening on ESPN at 8:30 p.m. ET, with all four episodes airing consecutively.
In Canada, the series will air from 5 to 7 p.m. ET on TSN and will also stream on Disney+ in Canada and select international markets, in addition to the ESPN App.
Directed by Kathleen Jayme and produced by Rock'n Robin Productions in association with Maximum Effort, Ujiri Productions, and Nine Two Six Productions, Setting the Tempo goes inside the high-stakes process of creating a professional basketball franchise from the ground up.
At the center of the series is the Tempo's all-women leadership team, including team president Teresa Resch, head coach Sandy Brondello, and general manager Monica Wright Rogers. Resch previously was part of the Toronto Raptors organization during its 2019 NBA championship run, while Brondello is a two-time WNBA champion and the 2014 WNBA Coach of the Year. Wright Rogers is also a two-time WNBA champion.
The documentary follows the group as they work against an exceptionally condensed timeline to evaluate talent, establish the team's culture, build its basketball operations, and assemble a roster capable of taking the court for the franchise's inaugural season.
The series also features members of the Tempo's inaugural roster, including Marina Mabrey, Brittney "Slim" Sykes, Kia Nurse, and Kiki Rice, among others. Their perspectives offer viewers an inside look at the players who are helping establish the identity of the WNBA's first Canadian franchise.
"Setting the Tempo is a compelling, unique look at the building of a successful WNBA franchise, spotlighting the female executives who have been integral from the very beginning," said Lindsay Rovegno, Vice President & Executive Producer, ESPN Originals. "We're excited for fans to experience not just the birth of Canada's first WNBA franchise, but also the latest milestone for women's basketball."
The series also has a connection to longtime sports broadcaster and journalist Robin Roberts, who serves as an executive producer and reflected on the significance of documenting the franchise's launch.
"As someone who has loved women's basketball and had the privilege of being part of the WNBA's story since the very beginning, this project feels incredibly special," said Robin Roberts. "The launch of the Toronto Tempo represents a defining moment for the league and for women's sports in Canada. This series captures the passion, pressure and purpose behind building a franchise from the ground up, while shining a light on the women leading the way and shaping the future of the game."
For Resch, seeing the early planning process documented has taken on additional meaning now that the Tempo have taken the court and begun establishing their place in Toronto and Canadian sports.
"What makes Setting the Tempo so special is that it captures a moment when so much of what the Toronto Tempo would become still existed only as an idea," said Teresa Resch, President, Toronto Tempo. "Every decision carries enormous possibilities, and this series gives fans a window into the people, conviction and care behind those choices. To now see this team take the floor, represent Toronto and Canada, and begin building its own history makes looking back at those early days incredibly meaningful."
For the organization, creating the Tempo meant far more than putting together a basketball roster. The team had to establish its identity, develop its basketball operations, make personnel decisions, and create a culture, all while working toward a fixed opening-day deadline.
That process forms the backbone of Setting the Tempo, with the series documenting the decisions and challenges that came with launching a professional sports franchise under an accelerated timeline. From front-office strategy sessions to roster construction and the preparations for the team's inaugural season, the cameras capture the organization as it works to turn its plans into reality.
The series is executive produced by a group that includes Serena Williams and Masai Ujiri, principal owners of the Tempo, as well as Lilly Singh, a Tempo owner and the team's Chief Hype Officer. Williams and Caroline Currier of Nine Two Six Productions serve as executive producers alongside Singh, Robin Roberts and Reni Calister of Rock'n Robin Productions, Ryan Reynolds and Kevin Hill of Maximum Effort, and Ujiri and Josiah Rothenberg of Ujiri Productions.
With the Toronto Tempo beginning their history as the WNBA's first Canadian franchise, Setting the Tempo offers viewers an opportunity to revisit the months of planning, decision-making, and preparation that preceded the team's debut.

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ESPN's Original Series "Setting the Tempo" Chronicles the Launch of the Toronto Tempo

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