Los Angeles.

That's where the action on the as-yet-untitled spinoff to The Walking Dead will take place. L.A. is no doubt intended to serve as a contrast to the flagship show, which takes place in the deep south in the area surrounding Atlanta.

A cynical person might think that L.A. was chosen to keep AMC's production costs small. (And Mr. or Ms. Cynical would be right.) But maybe Robert Kirkman & co. have come up with an interesting scenario that justifies setting the new show in SoCal, even though everything we've been led to believe suggests that it's simply another group of survivors somewhere else in the U.S.

Something about that can't help but feel disappointing. What's the point of doing a spinoff if it's just going to be more of the same?

AMC and the Walking Dead team had a chance here to do something really unique that adds to the mythos in new and exciting ways. Imagine a spinoff set in Washington D.C. or New York, where governmental leaders and top academics would grapple with the zombie outbreak. Or a show taking place surrounding a major city like Atlanta — only in Europe. We could see how being a survivor in a wholly different part of the world changes life after the zombie apocalypse. Or why not make it a roadtrip kind of thing in someplace more remote like South Africa, where a caravan of survivors are always trying to outrun the virus' spread, staying one step ahead with zombies in a never-ending pursuit.

Instead, we're getting L.A.

Oh well. Hopefully there will be interesting new characters to watch, regardless of their location.