BEVERLY HILLS, Calif. (AP) – The premiere of the new spy thriller “Matador” has a shocking moment early in the hour. It involves a human head and a sharp object. And it perfectly reflects the rawboned sensibility of Robert Rodriguez, whose network, El Rey, begins airing “Matador” Tuesday at 9 p.m. EDT.
But don’t blame Rodriguez, even though he directed the episode.
The prolific filmmaker and entertainment impresario was called on that scene by a reporter who dubbed it “the Robert Rodriguez touch” during Thursday’s session of the TV critics’ tour.
“I knew I was going to get the heat for that,” Rodriguez chuckled. “I told the writers, ‘You watch: (Viewers) are gonna think I thought of that.’ But it was in the script!”
“Matador,” created by Robert Orci and Alex Kurtman (“Sleepy Hollow,” ”Fringe”), stars Gabriel Luna as a globe-trotting soccer champ who, unbeknownst to his adoring public, is also a top-secret CIA operative.