The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon

[TNGTony]

You know, people who are complaining about (or at least not enjoying) all the bits Jimmy is doing really don't remember the Tonight Show starring Johnny Carson. Art Fern, Karnac, Aunt Blabby, and dozens of others made an appearance all the time. Skits galore with the Mighty Carson Art Players (or whatever they were called). You had all sorts of comedy bits. Carson would do all sorts of things, and not just things like Jaywalking (which got old about 20 years ago), or go to people's apartments to make fools out of them, or have the same tired photobooth thing over and over (which honestly made me so uncomfortable, I used the commercial skip feature when I DVRed the show or changed the channel if I was watching live. Jimmy Fallon, so far has the qualities of Carson in the bits he is doing. I haven't watched today's show yet. I'll be watching it in about an hour. But if Fallon follows this current trajectory, I will continue to look forward to the tonight show, rather than see it as a nightly ritual.

 

[cosmo_kramer]

Jimmy's guest list for the week of 2/24:

Mo 2/24: Reese Witherspoon, Fred Armisen, Rick Ross
Tu 2/25: Paul Rudd, Shaquille O'Neal, Hannibal Buress
We 2/26: Drew Barrymore, Adam Sandler, Dierks Bentley
Th 2/27: Denzel Washington, Shaun White, Sara Bareilles
Fr 2/28: Cameron Diaz, Mike Tyson, Mario Batali

Compare Letterman's guests this week:

Mo 2/24: Kaley Cuoco, Dale Earnhardt Jr., the Fray
Tu 2/25: Ted Ligety, Kat Dennings, Lo-Fang
We 2/26: Meredith Vieira, Band of Horses
Th 2/27: Stupid Human Tricks, Simon Helberg, Young the Giant
Fr 2/28: Jack Hanna, Jake Johannsen

 

[mike123abc]

NBC must be paying the bucks to fly in the celebrities.

I did like the game they played with Reese Witherspoon.

 

[TNGTony]

It's a honeymoon period. I just read about this. As a matter of courtesy, Letterman "booked light" last week and this week. The articles said, "the gloves are off in March". We'll see. One of the rumored guests is Jay Leno! I don't see it happening, but who knows!

[edit] Personally, I think they booked light because they didn't want to waste talent on a couple of weeks they know would be losers since traditionally new late-night shows get a big spike in the ratings and then settle down. Jimmy had a gigantic spike in ratings, and it really hasn't gone down since day 2 yet.

 

[mike123abc]

If NBC is willing to spend the bucks to book top names until Jimmy gets "settled" it could make March a difficult month for Letterman.

 

[riffjim4069]

As I mentioned in another thread, I like Jimmy and some of his skits and games, but his show is not grabbing my attention and making me want to watch on a nightly basis. Why? His stand-up routine is just as lame as Letterman. I loved Jay because his comedic timing was impeccable and he came out hitting home runs with his nightly monologue. Sure, he was only a marginal interviewer and wasn't an accomplished performer like Fallon...but three-quarters of the audience tunes-out after the monologue and opening segment.

 

[TNGTony]

I want to wait for the detailed numbers to come out about that. I'd like to see second half-hour numbers comparisons. I know that I rarely stuck around Jay's show after midnight. ...not because I was going to bed, but because I wasn't interested in the guests plugging their next project. I was rarely in the mood for the half-hour infomercial and bad musical guest that was to follow. Now, I have been sticking around through the entire show just to see what's coming next. The interview segments always seem to develop into something else! And it's fun!

 

[cosmo_kramer]

For me, it's safe to say I wouldn't be watching any of these late shows if I had to watch them in real time. I like the ability to get a decent night's sleep, and skip through the commercials and boring guests....

 

[Rey]

For me, it's safe to say I wouldn't be watching any of these late shows if I had to watch them in real time. I like the ability to get a decent night's sleep, and skip through the commercials and boring guests....

Same here my friend, with everything you said there.

 

[mike123abc]

When I watched Leno I tended to just watch the monologue and the skit. Pretty rare for me to watch the guests.

 

[Rey]

Watching clips of the late night show with Jimmy Fallon for the first time, I can see why he was chosen for the tonight show. Really great stuff, funny as hell.

 

[cosmo_kramer]

Jimmy's guest list for the week of 3/3:

Mo 3/3: Tina Fey, Randy Newman
Tu 3/4: Chelsea Handler, Lea Michele
We 3/5: Annette Bening, Norman Reedus, the Avett Brothers
Th 3/6: Lindsay Lohan, Billy Eichner, Bad Things
Fr 3/7: Stephen Colbert, Broken Bells

 

[MikeD-C05]

Wonder which character Tina will play this week?

 

[riffjim4069]

The one thing that strikes me is that it doesn't seem like I'm watching the Tonight Show...feels like I'm watching late-night with Jimmy Fallon.

 

[Don in CT]

The one thing that strikes me is that it doesn't seem like I'm watching the Tonight Show...feels like I'm watching late-night with Jimmy Fallon.

Wasn't that the plan, Fallon was not going to change his style to fit the "Tonight" brand. He is doing his own thing and making the format his own. This is where Conan failed. He tried to change to fit Tonight and it beat him. That and the move to LA ruined Conan. Had they kept the show in NY I think Conan would still be on the air.

 

[MikeD-C05]

I watched a couple of episodes of CONAN last week and the show hasn't changed. Still awkward silly later night stuff. Feels like he hasn't changed at all since he was on NBC. I really have no reason to return to this show again.

 

[mike123abc]

This time next month the ratings should tell us if he is doing a good job.

 

[Scott Greczkowski]

This has been a hot discussion at work. And many of the folks that never watched Leno are now watching and loving Fallon.

Most of them are like me dvr'ing it and watching it the next day. That's what we are doing and my wife enjoys the show now as well.


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[MikeD-C05]

This has been a hot discussion at work. And many of the folks that never watched Leno are now watching and loving Fallon.

Most of them are like me dvr'ing it and watching it the next day. That's what we are doing and my wife enjoys the show now as well.


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Definitely what I am doing. Recording it and watching it in the mornings -start my morning with a laugh and a smile.

 

[riffjim4069]

Wasn't that the plan, Fallon was not going to change his style to fit the "Tonight" brand. He is doing his own thing and making the format his own. This is where Conan failed. He tried to change to fit Tonight and it beat him. That and the move to LA ruined Conan. Had they kept the show in NY I think Conan would still be on the air.

If it's merely Fallon's late-show moved into the Tonight Show time-slot, then he's probably not going to be successful in the long run. They tried that with Conan O'nnoying and the ratings tanked. Conan's show was essentially the same late-night schtick that didn't play to the Tonight Show audience. Fallon is far more likable but I'm going to opt for 20-minutes of additional sleep each night if Fallon doesn't learn how to deliver a monologue.