There have been plenty of behind-the-scenes series with athletes, but the Tom Brady-focused Tom vs Time series on Facebook Watch is one that particularly took off earlier this year. It was boosted by strong directing from series creator Gotham Chopra (known for the Religion of Sports series on Audience which involves Brady and Michael Strahan as executive producers, he’s also partnered with them on a wider Religion of Sports startup), plus the chance to get a rare look into Brady’s personal life, the larger ongoing stories around Brady and the Patriots (specifically, a reported divide with Bill Belichick, tensions over Jimmy Garappolo and Alex Guerrero, discussions of how long Brady plans to play, and the push towards the Super Bowl), and Brady’s significant personal following on Facebook. And now, there’s going to be a bit more Tom vs. Time, with a five-minute epilogue episode dropping Wednesday (at noon Eastern) and a digital watch party with Brady and Chopra Tuesday night (at 8 p.m. Eastern). Here’s more from a release on it:
The five-minute episode completes the series with a look back at an offseason Tom Brady spent searching for his conviction. It also reveals Tom’s mindset as he approaches his 19th season — and whatever lies beyond that.
The Epilogue airs Wednesday, September 5th at 12p ET on Facebook Watch. Fans can add it to their Watchlists by following the Tom vs Time Facebook Page.
In the lead-up to the Epilogue, Tom will connect with his fans on Facebook by hosting a Watch Party for Tom vs Time Chapter 2: The Mental Game (Tom’s favorite episode) in The Official Tom Brady Fan Group. Group members will be able to watch together in real time with Tom and series creator, Gotham Chopra, who will both provide commentary and interact with fans throughout the 15-minute episode.
The Tom vs Time Watch Party begins Tuesday, September 4th at 8pm ET in the Official Tom Brady Fan Group. All group members will have access to join, and members who want to join in the action can find the Watch Party in their News Feed or on the group Timeline starting at 8pm ET.
Here’s a trailer for the epilogue episode:
This is an interesting idea on a couple of levels. For one thing, the idea of a digital watch party is a smart one; that’s a way for Brady to interact with fans and promote the series, and one that lets him connect with fans around the globe from home. It’s also logical to have that watch party for Brady’s favorite episode of the series; that might bring out some more notable comments from him on what he liked in that episode.
Beyond that, the watch party will help promote the upcoming release of the epilogue, and the epilogue itself may get some who missed the series the first time around to go back and watch it. And timing this just ahead of the start of the NFL season is also smart; people are eager for NFL content, but not yet engrossed in the games. We’ll see how this works out, but it seems likely that it will get a fair bit of attention.
[Tom vs Time on Facebook]
