TVSquad

Ever since Jimmy Fallon was named Conan O'Brien's successor in a surprise move by NBC, the SNL alum has faced a ton of criticism. Just about everything I've heard has been along the lines of, "WTF, NBC?" and Jimmy Fallon sucks." It's easy to knock Jimmy Fallon. He's twitchy, he couldn't keep a straight face during an SNL skit to save his life, and his big post-SNL career move? Freakin' Taxi.

Yes, there's a lot of ways to make fun of Jimmy Fallon, and as he proves in his second webisode, he hears you loud and clear. He knows you think he's a douchebag who doesn't deserve the job, but that's not going to stop him from trying to leave his mark on late night. So maybe it's just the part of me that cringes at schoolyard bullying, but whatever. I'm going to give Jimmy Fallon the benefit of the doubt.

In watching his webisodes, I can't help but cringe at his dingy t-shirt and the way his neediness comes through my computer screen and whimpers into my ear. But you know what? I've always loved an underdog. Because that's what Fallon is. Few people outside of his immediate family expect him to be a success--but I think they're underestimating him.

Watch him for thirty seconds and it's clear that Fallon wants this so badly. It's obvious that he's put a lot of thought into the look and feel of his show, that he wants it to be different from the other late night chat fests. Fallon is also putting himself out there as much as possible, as if to say, "come on guys. If you give me a chance, you'll see that I'm not all that bad." His strategy seems to be that if you feel like you have access to him and the show, you're more likely to feel involved and give it a fair shake.

Why else would he join every social networking site known to man? Look, I don't know if this is going to work. All of the Facebook fan pages in the world may not be enough to make Fallon a success--especially when he's up against Craig Ferguson, who is steadily gaining viewers and doesn't have as much stacked against him. All I'm saying is I'm going to give the guy the benefit of the doubt. I'm following him on Twitter and I'll be tuning in to his show when it premieres, and if it's the funniest thing ever? I'm going to look like a frickin' genius.