AMC announces Walking Dead spinoff will take place in Los Angeles

AMC is trading the forest for the beach: the network’s Walking Dead spinoff will be set in sunny Los Angeles.

The series pilot won’t be shot until early next year, and details are still sparse. Last September, though, AMC president Charlie Collier observed that “Almost from the beginning of The Walking Dead (which is set in Atlanta), fans have been curious about what is going on in the zombie apocalypse in other parts of the world.”

So, it appears that those fans will be getting their wish. And, since the show is allegedly a prequel, it looks like they’ll also get to learn more about the origins of the zombie apocalypse. Which, as we learned when Patton Oswalt taught us about origin stories, could be a huge mistake.

One thing we do know about the spinoff is some of the casting. The show will feature Cliff Curtis, of Live Free or Die Hard fame; Frank Dilane, who played young Tom Riddle in Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince; and Alycia Debnam Carey, from Into the Storm.

Oh, and we do have a title: Cobalt.

In related news, this past Sunday The Walking Dead did something no show in three decades had managed: it beat Sunday Night Football in the 18-49 age bracket (male category). The game wasn’t exactly a snoozer, either: the Cowboys of Dallas notched an impressive (and much-needed) 38-27 win over their division rivals, the Eagles of Philadelphia.

(Some other stuff happened at that game, too.)

So, to recap: the hierarchy of young male television interests goes: Zombies > Football > Boobs. Take note, executives.