Jimmy Fallon’s premiere week as new host of “The Tonight Show” is a classic case of “So Far So Good”. The former “Late Night” host and SNL alum has succeeded in succeeding 22-year emcee Jay Leno (for now), moving operations back to The Big Apple for the first time in over four decades.
Jay and Jimmy’s candid interviews in the weeks leading-up to the switch, including segments on “60 Minutes” and a Matt Lauer piece for “Today” and “E!” answered some of the questions America had about the historic move, and their relationship. But everyone was (and still is) wondering if NBC could pull another “Conan
O’Brien stunt” and ask Leno to come back again if Fallon is unable to hold onto the network’s #1 position in the late night wars.
For now, he Peacock has nothing to worry about. Fallon’s first few shows have produced impressive ratings (with help from The Olympics lead-in) and Leno says he won’t be hosting another Late Night show anytime soon (for NBC or anyone else).
The high-powered celebrity guests have certainly helped Jimmy get out of the gate quickly, led by Will Smith, Emma Thompson, Lady Gaga, U2, Bradley Cooper (both pushing their Oscar nominations), and a slew of major cameos on opening night.
But the key to a lasting success of the new “Tonight Show” rests squarely on Fallon. His upbeat personality and charisma are fine. But it’s his inventive sketches and material geared towards a younger audience that could cause trouble. Some of it will work, but the average age of the “Tonight Show” audience is 50+. Will Fallon be forced to change up the jokes and skits to appeal to an older demo (and not scare away his true fans) or stay true to his style (and age) and remain focused on the 18-49 viewers.
There no doubt that NBC is taking a HUGE gamble with this Fallon/Leno move, which also involves Seth Meyers, who kicks-off his “Late Night” run next week. I hope Fallon pulls-it-off. He’s a nice, humble guy, who’s very talented and great at allowing both himself and his guests shine in just the right ways.
The next few weeks and months will be quite interesting.