Late Night with Jimmy Fallon
Late Night with Jimmy Fallon is an American late-night talk show hosted by actor and comedian Jimmy Fallon.[1] The hour-long show aired from March 2, 2009 to February 7, 2014 on weeknights at 12:35 AM Eastern/11:35 pm Central, on NBC.
Late Night with Jimmy Fallon
Late Night (franchise brand)
A. D. Miles (head writer)
Jimmy Fallon
The Roots
United States
English
5
969 (list of episodes)
- Lorne Michaels
- Michael Shoemaker
Gavin Purcell
Studio 6B,[a] NBC Studios, New York City, New York
62 minutes (with commercials)
- Broadway Video (uncredited)
- Universal Media Studios (2009–11)
- Universal Television (2011–14)
- Worldwide Pants Inc. (uncredited)
March 2, 2009 –
February 7, 2014
The third incarnation of the Late Night franchise originated by David Letterman, the program originated from NBC Studio 6B (and Studio 6A for the final six months of its run) in the Comcast Building at 30 Rockefeller Center in New York City. The show typically opened with a brief monologue from Fallon, followed by a comedy "desk piece," as well as prerecorded segments and audience competitions. The next segment was devoted to a celebrity interview, with guests ranging from actors and musicians to media personalities and political figures. Hip hop/neo soul band The Roots served as the show's house band, and Saturday Night Live writer and producer Steve Higgins was the show's announcer. The show then closed with either a musical or comedy performance, or a cooking segment. The show frequently employed digital media into its comedy, which became crucial to its success.
In 2013, Fallon was selected by NBC to succeed a retiring Jay Leno as host of The Tonight Show. The final episode of Late Night under Fallon aired one night after Leno's final episode of The Tonight Show on February 6, 2014. Most of the cast and crew immediately began working on The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon, which premiered on February 17, 2014.
Seth Meyers was named as Fallon's replacement, and Late Night with Seth Meyers debuted after the Sochi Olympics.[2]
The show's ratings remained above its rival shows throughout most of the series' run. In 2011, the show garnered two Emmy Award nominations, including Outstanding Variety, Music or Comedy Series.
Reception[edit]
Critical response[edit]
Although the show received much acclaim, the debut episode received mixed to negative reviews across the board and was considered to have "arrived needing plenty of work."[35] In particular, critics noted Fallon's nervousness and profuse sweating as well as awkward comedy pieces like "Lick It for 10."[35] However, interaction with the show's house band, The Roots, was applauded and it was noted that "a bit in which Fallon sang a "slow jam" version of the news succeeded, in large part, thanks to The Roots' typically taut playing and singer Tariq 'Black Thought' Trotter's impeccable voice and surprisingly good comic timing."[36] The LA Times commented that "the late-night role seems on the face of it a good fit" for Jimmy Fallon and that "this is a form that develops in the fullness of time, as chances are taken and limits tested and you learn the things you can learn only in the doing, night after night."[37] The show's first season scored a 48/100 on Metacritic, and viewers rated it at a 5/10.[38]
Reviews grew much more positive over time, and the show received an Emmy nomination for Outstanding Variety, Music or Comedy Series each year beginning in 2011 and continuing through the end of the show. In 2010, New York complimented Fallon's "good humor" and noted his improvement: "In the relative safety of his 12:35 a.m. time slot, Fallon has been cultivating a distinct, and refreshing, strain of humor: the comedy of unabashed celebration."[6] The same year, a Los Angeles Times piece titled "Jimmy Fallon, you're growing on us" complimented his excitement and charm: "Whatever tentativeness Fallon showed has long dissipated, and what he lacks in penetrating insight, ... he makes up in enthusiasm."[14] In 2012, the New York Times called Fallon "one of the hot acts in late night with younger viewers," attributing the show's success to the show's "original comedy ideas" (skits such as Spanx or no Spanx with John M from
New Jersey) and Fallon's own performance.[39]
Beginning in late February 2012, Late Night aired across Europe on CNBC Europe, replacing The Tonight Show with Jay Leno which occupied the slot for many years. The show aired in a 30-minute condensed version Mondays-Fridays at 00.00 CET. On Saturdays and Sundays two episodes aired per night from 21.00 CET in the full 45-minute version. The episodes aired on a one-day delay from transmission in the USA.[50]