California

California is a state located on the West Coast of the United States. It is by far the most populous U.S. state, and the third most extensive (after Alaska and Texas). It is home to the nation's second- and sixth-largest census statistical areas (Los Angeles Metropolitan Area and San Francisco Bay Area), and eight of the nation's fifty most populated cities (Los Angeles, San Diego, San Jose, San Francisco, Fresno, Sacramento, Long Beach and Oakland). The capital city is Sacramento. California's diverse geography ranges from the Pacific Coast in the west, to the Sierra Nevada mountains in the east – from the Redwood–Douglas-fir forests of the northwest, to the Mojave Desert areas in the southeast. The center of the state is dominated by Central Valley, a major agricultural area. California contains both the highest and lowest points in the contiguous United States (Mount Whitney and Death Valley), and has the third-longest coastline of all states (after Alaska and Florida). Earthquakes are a common occurrence due to the state's location along the Pacific Ring of Fire: about 37,000 are recorded annually.

Excluding New York, the state of California probably boasts the most amount of television programs that utilize it as their central settings. Many series take place in the city of Los Angeles, but some also take place in San Diego and San Francisco. The 1970s cop drama Adam-12 took place in Los Angeles, as did the supernatural action show Angel. One of Angel 's contemporaries, the supernatural fantasy series Charmed took place in San Francisco, as did the short-lived vampire series Kindred: The Embraced, both of which were produced by Aaron Spelling for Spelling Television. More modern shows that take place in California include The Big Bang Theory, which takes place in Pasadena and The Mentalist, which takes place in Sacramento. The USA Network television programs Psych and Monk likewise took place in California. Psych is based out of Santa Barbara, while Monk is based out of San Francisco. According to CBS, a dark future awaits California as it is somehow destined to be overrun by highly evolved humanoid apes as per the 1974 Planet of the Apes television series.

Counties

 * Beacon County
 * Los Angeles County
 * Sunnydale County
 * Orange County

Major cities

 * Beacon Hills
 * Beverly Hills
 * Brentwood
 * Fresno
 * Glendale
 * Los Angeles
 * Bel Air
 * Encino
 * Malibu
 * Pasadena
 * Sherman Oaks
 * Studio City
 * Van Nuys
 * Woodland Hills


 * Newport Beach
 * Oakland
 * Palm Desert
 * Palm Springs
 * Palo Alto
 * Sacramento
 * San Diego
 * La Jolla


 * San Francisco
 * Santa Ana
 * Santa Barbara
 * Santa Cruz
 * Santa Monica
 * South Central
 * Sunnydale

Fictional locales

 * Central City
 * Playa Del Toro
 * Tuscany Valley

TV shows that take place in

 * 24
 * 90210
 * A-Team, The
 * Action
 * Adam-12
 * ALF
 * American Horror Story
 * Angel
 * Arrow
 * Beverly Hills, 90210
 * Big Bang Theory, The
 * Bionic Woman (2007)
 * Brady Bunch, The
 * Buffy the Vampire Slayer
 * Charmed
 * Charlie's Angels
 * Common Law
 * Closer, The
 * Dirt
 * Eli Stone
 * First Years
 * FlashForward
 * Franklin & Bash
 * Good Vibes


 * Kindred: The Embraced
 * L.A. Law
 * L Word, The
 * Leverage
 * Mentalist, The
 * Miss Match
 * Mr. Novak
 * Monk
 * Murder One
 * NCIS: Los Angeles
 * New Girl
 * New Normal, The
 * Nine Lives of Chloe King, The
 * No Ordinary Family
 * Planet of the Apes
 * Police Woman
 * Poltergeist: The Legacy
 * Private Practice
 * Psych
 * Sanford and Son
 * Six Feet Under
 * Sons of Anarchy
 * South Central
 * Streets of San Francisco, The
 * Summerland
 * T.J. Hooker
 * Teen Wolf
 * V
 * Weird Science
 * Wild Palms

Films that take place in

 * Doctor Who (1996)