Jimmy Fallon Has “Revolutionized” Late Night

There was Johnny Carson, then came Letterman, then Jay Leno, followed by Conan O’Brien. All of these names have been a part of NBC late night television. Carson and The Tonight Show created the format of what late night television should be. It starts with the opening monologue, then the comedy bit, followed by the guests, and ends with a comedian or musical act to close out the show (bringing comedians on was a Johnny Carson specialty. Carson will always be the king of late night, and Leno, Letterman and O’Brien all bring their own unique style to both the Tonight Show and Late Night.

More recently, no one has made a bigger impact on late night television other than Jimmy Fallon. Fallon took over Conan O’Brien’s Late Night show after he left to host The Tonight Show, which you remember became a giant mess and was one of NBC’s darkest hours. Fallon is well known for his long run on Saturday Night Live. He became a favorite and joined the club of well-known SNL alumni. Fallon’s entrance into the 12:35am time-slot in March 2009 displayed a change in late night television. Fallon’s show tries to attract younger viewers, mostly that 18-30 year-old audience that is usually watching Jon Stewart or Stephen Colbert.

Jimmy Fallon at times, especially in his first few shows, displayed a sense of nervousness in his opening monologue. But as he got comfortable after the first couple of shows, his creativity began to come out, and of course like Conan and Letterman before him, when the nerves leave, their unique talent enters.  

The first thing that made Fallon’s show stand out was his choice of the in-house band. He chose the legendary Roots Band (The Roots), who are involved in the show in several occasions. Fallon has also gone the way of Conan O’Brien when it comes to bringing his own unique style to Late Night. He is appealing to a younger audience, and looks to expand the interviews that put the guests into funny situations. One of the more hilarious bits involved him challenging his guests to beer pong. He even got 88 year-old Betty White to play the college-age game. Playing Tiger Woods PGA 12 The Masters with the man himself on Playstation Move created laughs, especially when Fallon and former SNL castmate Amy Poehler did everything they could to distract Woods when it was his turn. It was also in my opinion, a good way to take pressure off of Woods, being that it was one of his first appearances on a talk show since the controversey that hung over his head for over a year.  Another one that got me was Password with Robert De Niro and The Hangover’s Bradley Cooper. Face it, anything that gets De Niro out of his comfort zone is hilarious, especially since Fallon and him were teammates. 

Fallon has been able to get his audience involved in the show also. Singing karaoke to  Former South Carolina Governor Sanford's messages to his mistress were sung to by audience members as well as other current events.

Fallon is also never afraid to display his muscial talents on the show. The first musical act that got attention was his Neil Young cover of General Larry Platt’s “Pants on the Ground,” a song that was sung during an American Idol audition. He appeared again with another Young cover singing the Fresh Prince of Bel-Air Theme Song (younger audience knows that).  If that wasn’t enough, Fallon then pulls out his Bob Dylan impression and does a cover of the theme from Charles in Charge.

Fallon has performed with the musical guests also. A more recent show had him, the group “Stomp” and the legendary Paul Simon performing “Cecilla.” But the best one had to be with Stephen Colbert. The host of the Colbert Report joined Fallon, along with former American Idol contestant Taylor Hicks, the Roots, and the New York Knick dancers in a cover of Rebecca Black’s Infamous song “Friday.” The cover was more liked than the original song. Then again, anything is better than her song.

It is nice to see that Fallon can wear the suit and tie and keep the dignity of late night television, but is willing to loosen the tie and try new things.