A quintet of boldfaced names -- Serena Williams, Ryan Reynolds, Robin Roberts, Masai Ujiri and Lilly Singh -- are partnering to executive-produce a four-part series on the launch of the WNBA’s Toronto Tempo.
ESPN will announce Monday that it has green-lit an original series on the building of Toronto’s expansion franchise. “Setting the Tempo” will prominently feature the team’s head coach (Sandy Brondello), general manager (Monica Wright Rogers), team president (Teresa Resch) and players including Brittney Sykes and Marina Mabrey, the WNBA’s first million-dollar backcourt. Ujiri, Williams and Singh have ownership stakes in the team.
ESPN said it does not have a timeline for when the series will debut, nor whether it will air on linear channels, streaming or both.
Last month, SBJ ran feature pieces on the building of the Tempo and the league’s other 2026 expansion team, the Portland Fire.
Said Tempo owner Larry Tanenbaum to SBJ then: “Where would we like to be five years from now? Well, I know where I would like to be: on the podium holding that ‘W’ trophy. I know this franchise is going to be terrific and grow every year. You don’t win championships every year for sure, but competing for championships -- you can do that every year. That’s where we want to take the team and this organization. We want to be a model franchise -- and I believe we will.”
