TCA: El Rey Renews ‘Matador’ For Second Season

Beverly Hills -- El Rey has greenlit a second season of its original soccer-themed series Matador ahead of the show’s July 15 premiere, the network said during its Thursday Television Critics Association summer tour session.

The series, which follows a professional soccer player who also serves as CIA operative, will debut on the upstart Hispanic-themed, general entertainment network next Tuesday, said network vice chairman Scott Sassa. El Rey will sneak peek the premiere episode on various platforms including iTunes, Vudu and Xbox 360.

 The 13-episode second season of the series will launch in 2015.

"It fit the mode of what I wanted to do right away with the network,” said El Rey founder and chairman Robert Rodriguez on the network’s decision to greenlight a second season for Matador. “This show exceeded every possible expectation we had in terms of great storytelling, incredible action and unique characters.”

R. Thomas Umstead

R. Thomas Umstead serves as senior content producer, programming for Multichannel News, Broadcasting + Cable and Next TV. During his more than 30-year career as a print and online journalist, Umstead has written articles on a variety of subjects ranging from TV technology, marketing and sports production to content distribution and development. He has provided expert commentary on television issues and trends for such TV, print, radio and streaming outlets as Fox News, CNBC, the Today show, USA Today, The New York Times and National Public Radio. Umstead has also filmed, produced and edited more than 100 original video interviews, profiles and news reports featuring key cable television executives as well as entertainers and celebrity personalities.