The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon [Probationary Watching Edition]

What helped Fallon was being innovative and getting involved in skits with his guests. That then got him more social media interest.

I haven't watched more than 1 episode of SNL each season for almost 10 years now so I don't know much about Seth Meyers except that he did Weekend Update and sometimes appeared in 1 or 2 sketches. I don't see him being as outgoing as Fallon and being successful in getting guests to do silly skits with him. Guess we will find out in time.

 

"homo"??? Seriously? You're looking for an insult and you choose to go with that? Keep it classy dude.

Anyway, the reason people love him or have come around to like him is that he appears to be very genuine and seems like an all-around nice fella without much snark a la Letterman/Kimmel.

Conan played his part in said bad situation but regardless he should have been given more time to grow. Unfortunately for him the Affiliate stations weren't having it.

This time there's no doubt Fallon will be given time to grow and fill the seat properly.

 

I've watched the first two and have enjoyed both so far. And I think it will get better over time.

 

I never saw his Late Night show, only have seen some clips on youtube of some of his "History of...." stuff.

I watched a couple of nights ago with Jerry Seinfeld. I thought the show was meh.

The monologue wasn't funny at all, actually seemed awkward and/or the timing of his jokes were off or something. Nothing made me want to continue watching the show. So, I'll just stick with watching youtube clips on occasion.

 

So I've seen the kickoff and Seinfeld's shows. Pretty good. Fallon seems genuine, lets his guests shine as opposed to butting in too much.

 

Overall, it is very... MEH thus far. I like Fallon, but the Tonight Show just isn't him. He got it, because he is Lorne Michaels' right hand man.

 

The thing is with Jimmy, he isn't a natural funny man like Dave or Jay. He's trained that way. All his mannerisms to cue laughs like the head pointing were consciously learned. It feels really artificial to me. But what really turns me off is his lisp.

 

He is pretty talented dude. He can dance, sing, do impressions, etc.

 

Seth Meyers is pretty well known, at least as much as Fallon was. Fallon was only an SNL member. Seth Meyers has been head writer on SNL since Tina fey left and did weekend update, so he is pretty well known. I don't LOVE his on screen performance but he is a very talented writer and comedic creator. He nd Tina Fey oversaw some very good years at SNL. Also, he is planning on doing his show a little different. More skits, more charCters, more snl stlye, less monologue. Im looking forward To it.

ALSO, Fred Armisen is gonna be his band leader, probably the most talented sidekick/bandleader on tv

 

Yeah, I'll give him that. He's anything but a comic.

 

That's just not even close to true. Fallon starred in a few movies, including a Farrelly brothers movie. And in SNL, he was a featured player, not just a Weekend Update host.

He was a far, far more famous public personality coming in. I'm not saying that means everything, but I just don't see Meyers as somebody who people are going to gravitate towards, and I think the similarity in style of humor to Fallon is going to be a huge ratings negative.

Just my prediction. I've been plenty wrong before - I'm shocked every single day that Craig Ferguson is at the helm of one of the major talk shows going on 10 years now.

 

Agreed. I see him as a "fun dude to have around." He is talented, but he isn't inherently funny. What makes a late night talk show host great is their interactions with people. They have quips and retorts and comebacks and one liners that make you laugh out loud a handful of times per night. All of which are unscripted (for the most part).

That is something Fallon simply can't do, and if and when he actually manages an off the cuff zinger, he's usually so enamored with himself it is awkward.

I wouldn't say he starred in movies. He had bit parts for most of his roles, and his one true "leading" role was the absolutely terrible movie Taxi. Fever Pitch was alright I guess, but that had a lot to do with the fact that the Red Sox just happened to win the World Series that year which made the move surreal.

He certainly was never a "star," and during his time on SNL he was known more for breaking character than busting bellies.

Also, Craig Ferguson is awesome. He is the quickest wit in late night - and to me that is the most important aspect of being a successful comedy talk show host. I'm not saying his show is great, or that I watch it all the time, but the dude is funny and is certainly talk show material.

 

I don't think it is "trained" awkwardness, I think he is just naturally awkward. The "aw shucks" moments of the first show are a prime example.

http://www.timesdispatch.com/critic...cle_5b6e5665-8b6c-508c-8f76-df73b11053ee.html

 

Wasn't hating on Ferguson. I'm not much of a fan, but have nothing against him...just amazing to me that he lasted. He was quite a random guy for CBS to bet on, heavy accent and all.

And Ferguson, Kimmel, Fallon, Conan, and Letterman (the king of quick wit, imo) are all crazy witty. Quick wit is pretty essential for the job.

 

Ferguson is really funny, and has rabid fans. The show itself isn't great, but he is. He's also extremely blunt and racy, which he can get away with at his hour. The stupid talking robot is a big turn off for me though. I do really enjoy the moments when he is brutally honest though.

Letterman was the man up until the sex scandal, a part of him died that day and it just has never been the same. Plus, he's old now and just not as funny as he used to be. I watched him every night for a good 10 years or so in the 90s and early 00s.

Leno to me was the king of monologue. The delivery was always spot on, and he's had some of the greatest reoccurring segments in late night history - headlines, Jaywalking, etc. I don't find Leno inherently hilarious, but he is funny and he has a charm about him. which is why I think he stayed so popular, the older crowds are loyalists.

Kimmel I just find a funny all-around guy. He's right in the middle. He created the resurgence in importance of live music - and for that I thank him. Growing up and not having cable in the 80s and 90s, I got to see all of my favorite bands on late night talk shows - not on MTV. Also, the Matt Damon stuff is amazing to me.

Conan is the most hilarious guy out of all of them to me. With that said, I know his comedy isn't for everyone - and I also don't think Andy ads anything to the show. I think Conan is at his best when interacting with normal people. His interviews have always been a bit awkward, because he makes it a point for them to be.

See, to me even mentioning Fallon with all the names above is weird to me. Because he's simply not a comedian, he is an entertainer.

 

He's as funny as he always was (I don't think you lose your sense of humor with age), he's just not as edgy as he used to be, and hasn't been for a long time. Once he stopped going out on the streets and doing remotes, his show stopped being what it once was.

That said, he's still the king of the interview, and his monologue is always stronger than all the others, imo.

 

Jimmy had done ONE prominent movie and it was quite a while before he took over. And seth Meyers was also a featured player, bkt weekend update host is considered one of the more prestigious positions on the show. Jimmy Fallon wasn't doing a lot in the years leading up to taking over. Seth Meyers was on SNl just weeks ago, if anything is in the public stage more than Fallon was when he took over.

I think ferguson has his spot, but is definitely more geared towards an older audience which is why he won't ever take over at an earlier time. He's way better than Leno or Dave but not really appealing to someone my age.

 

yeah of course it's just going to be more of what he did on his Late Night show, that's why I'll be tuning in...

 

He was cast as the star of at least 2 major motion pictures. I'm pretty sure that's a pretty good indicator of fame.

I can vividly recall dozens and dozens of sketches on SNL that Fallon was in. I can recall zero that Meyers was in. He never had any buzz-worthy, memorable characters, and wasn't prominently featured in many sketches to begin with. Not to mention, don't forget that Fallon hosted weekend update for a long time as well.

Their levels of fame heading into hosting Late Night aren't really even close to comparable. Like I said though, that isn't necessarily important. It's not an end-all measure of succeeding at the position, but his relative obscurity is certainly one of the many hurdles that Meyers is going to have to overcome.

 

his videos are killing it on YouTube tho