By ALYSSA HADDAD
Staff Writer
Saint Rose graduate Jimmy Fallon hit it out of the park in his first week as the new host of The Tonight Show. Fallon’s goofy brand of humor and charisma brought NBC their highest week-long ratings for The Tonight Show since 1993. Overall, Fallon averaged 8.49 million viewers and a 2.8 rating for the week.
The high ratings are justifiable to any television fan. Fallon’s sincerity and attentiveness to his guests make for the best interviews in the current era of late-night talk shows.
His visible interest in the interview gives the viewers at home the feeling that they are eavesdropping on a conversation between friends, versus hosts such as David Letterman, who make the audience feel like they’re watching a work email come to life. Fallon radiates an inviting atmosphere by genuinely laughing at the amusing anecdotes his guests share, and focusing on the banter rather than on plugging whatever project a celebrity is advertising—reasons that made his years on Late Night and his first week on The Tonight Show such a success.
The warmth and charm that he extends to each guest seem to be universally appreciated traits throughout Hollywood, and were mentioned by his first guest, Will Smith, who expressed to Jimmy that “I was watching all of the people that came to support you tonight. People are coming for you. The Tonight Show is big and historic, but people are coming because of your heart.”
Fallon’s smooth transition to an earlier time slot demonstrated to viewers that his intentions were to stick with what earned him the gig in the first place, and remain true to his comedic roots.
The first week was stuffed with classic bits like Thank You Notes, and Superlatives of the Olympic athletes, from his 5-year run on Late Night. The lovable host made it clear that he would continue to participate in games with his guests when he played Charades with Tim McGraw, Bradley Cooper, and Emma Thompson on Wednesday night.
Fans were thrilled that recurring sketches such as “Ew!,” where Jimmy and his guests discuss various topics that typical teenage girls would normally be interested in, made its way into the fourth show, this time with the help of Will Ferrell and First Lady Michelle Obama.
To close out the week, Fallon and soon-to-be frequent guest, Justin Timberlake, gave loyal fans the fifth installment of their History of Rap series, another Late Night favorite.
Mostly, however, Jimmy Fallon’s first week hosting The Tonight Show proved that late night talk shows are not just for your grandpa to fall asleep to— they are a medium for people to end their day on a light and happy note.
Fallon’s approach brings a much needed shot of energy to an otherwise relatively stale late-night lineup. His leadership brings the main emphasis back to entertaining the audience, instead of primarily to promote the guest’s projects.
If the first week is indicative of what viewers can expect, then I think that Jimmy Fallon fans can all look forward to many more years of him hosting The Tonight Show, which you can catch weeknights at 11:35 on NBC.