Summary
- Four-part series takes fans behind the scenes as Canada’s first WNBA franchise is built from the ground up
- Setting the Tempopremieres Sunday, <a href="https://comicvibe.com/ps-plus-extra-premium-september-2026-games-rolling-out-now/” title=”PS Plus Extra, Premium September 2026 Games Rolling Out Now”>September 20, at 8:30 p.m. ET on ESPN, with all four episodes airing consecutively, and streams on the ESPN App and Disney+
ESPN today announced that Setting the Tempo, a new four-part ESPN Original Series chronicling the creation and launch of the Toronto Tempo, will premiere Sunday, September 20, with all episodes available to stream on the ESPN App and Disney+. The series will make its linear debut that evening at 8:30 p.m. ET on ESPN, with all four episodes airing consecutively.
The series will also air from 5-7 p.m. ET on TSN and streams on Disney+ in Canada and select international markets, along with 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 takes audiences inside the exhilarating, high-stakes process of building a WNBA franchise from the ground up. Led by an all-women leadership team featuring team president Teresa Resch, who was part of the Toronto Raptors’ 2019 NBA championship organization, head coach Sandy Brondello, a two-time WNBA champion and the 2014 WNBA Coach of the Year, and general manager Monica Wright Rogers, a two-time WNBA champion, the series captures the relentless race against the clock as they evaluate talent, establish a culture and lay the foundation for sustained success.
The series features members of the Tempo’s inaugural roster, including Marina Mabrey, Brittney “Slim” Sykes, Kia Nurse and Kiki Rice, among others, offering an inside look at the players helping shape 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.”
“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.”
“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 carried enormous possibility, 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.”
As Canada’s first-ever WNBA team prepared for its inaugural season, the Tempo are not simply assembling a roster. They are shaping a legacy in real time. From front office strategy sessions to defining personnel decisions, every move carries historic weight. Working against an exceptionally condensed timeline, the organization must quickly build its basketball operations, establish a culture and assemble a team ready to compete from day one. With expectations soaring, national pride on the line and the countdown to tip-off accelerating, Setting the Tempo chronicles the ambition, pressure and purpose behind launching a franchise determined to make an immediate impact.
Executive producers include Serena Williams and Masai Ujiri, principal owners of the Tempo, and Lilly Singh, 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.
About ESPN Originals
ESPN Originals are premium programs that take fans inside the biggest moments, athletes, and stories in sports. With critically acclaimed, award-winning series — including the Emmy®-winning Man in the Arena: Tom Brady, Peyton’s Places and the Places universe, In the Arena: Serena Williams, Full Court Press, and Clutch: The NBA Playoffs — ESPN Originals deliver bold perspectives and unparalleled access to the narratives that define the modern sports world.
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