So it's been a week since our boy took to the airwaves and he has survived. He went a whole week without being canceled. Way to go, Jimmy! You've cost half of our commenters their share of the dough in their "When will Jimmy Fallon go down in flames?" pools. Now where will they find the money to stock up on Cheetos and duct tape for their slowly dying bean bag chairs? So how did Jimmy do? The answer, as I've learned in my brief stint here at TV Squad Land, is totally subjective. Some people are going to like Jimmy and some won't and each will find their own reason to support their feelings.
So instead of giving a definitive "yes" or "no," here's a list of five good things and five bad things from the first block of shows.
Bad Thing #1 - The monologues: It's been done so many times that it's hard to put your own personal spin on them and if you don't do one, you run the risk of giving the audience a confusion aneurysm. But the delivery and some of the jokes could use a once-over. Jimmy's delivery feels like he's reading a cue-card and loses some of its personality and connection to the viewers and they can sometimes kill the joke before he gets to the punchline.
Bad Thing #2 - Beef Solvers: It's a cute idea. Pull two unsuspecting people from the audience and get them to act out scenes as feuding celebrities that look like their Bizarro World counterparts, minus the goatee. It might be fun for the audience and the guys on stage who are humiliating themselves on national television (probably not even for a lousy T-shirt, after all NBC is fourth), but it doesn't work as well if you're watching from home.
Bad Thing #3 - The interviews: When he's talking to people he knows like Tina Fey, Drew Barrymore, Billy Crudup and Cameron Diaz, the conversation flows as naturally as a spring river through a quiet forest. When it's someone else, it's as unnatural as water rushing through a toppled levee. The real test of this show and its host will be when Jimmy sits down with guests who he doesn't have a personal connection with outside of the studio.
Bad Thing #4 - The announcer and the house band's face time: I have been very impressed with The Roots' work so far and announcer Steve Higgins' time in front of the camera. Unfortunately, neither have been utilized to their fullest potential. The Roots actually provide a great musical background, but they could contribute a lot more to the comedy in ways that haven't been done yet. Drummer ?uestlove's stoneface expression could make for a perfect punchline in the right context and Higgins is more than just a mic-jockey. He is a very accomplished writer and comedian. Some of you may recognize him as one-third of the comedy trio, Higgins Boys and Gruber. My TiVo can go back in time.
Bad Thing #5 - 7th Floor West: It was, without a doubt, the unfunniest sketch on the show for the whole week. Parts of it went on for an eternity and my brain screamed it at the TV to make it stop. It attempts to be a reality show parody based behind the curtains of Jimmy's new show, but it fails miserably and painfully. Real (if that's what you can #*$&ing call them) reality shows are already a parody of themselves. It's like making fun of that guy in the office who makes fun of other guys in the office. I'd rather see Beef Solvers become a recurring sketch.
Good Thing #1 - The theme song: A lot of people (yes, we're guilty too) started scratching their heads when NBC announced that The Roots would fill the Max Weinberg 7's very big shoes on Late Night. It was a radical and unorthodox choice, but it paid off in a big way. The Roots have done their homework. They provide a great, eclectic mix of music for the show and it starts with the opening titles. The pulsating and almost hypnotic rhythms of the song have been stuck in my head all week. I actually wish I could hire the band to follow me around where ever I go, so they could play it as my own entrance song. I wonder how much that would cost and if I could write it off on my taxes?
Good Thing #2 - Bromance Novels: This was a short but sweet comedy bit that Jimmy did at the desk in the latter part of the week and it marked a solid turning point in the show's comedy. It did what any good comedy bit should do. It took a topical, edgy and hip concept and completely turned it on its head, even if the concept of two burly guys in a relationship that's one beer and two Sea Breezes away from turning totally gay made you recycle your lunch a little bit.
Good Thing #3 - Electing a President of the Audience: This was, without a doubt, my most favorite bit of the week. It utilized the audience for its comedy, something Johnny Carson used to do all the time with classic bits like the Name that Tune game he would play with Doc Severinsen and the timeless soap opera serial The Edge of Wetness, and gave it a new twist. The audience would literally elect a member of their mob to serve as their president and as the show progressed, the show continued to build on the bit from the president's own Secret Service detail to an attack ad that a rival audience member produced against him. It's the first time I'll be looking forward to seeing another political attack ad on television. Except for the ad that John McCain released that besmirched the good name of Paris Hilton. It's the only positive to his future as a viable presidential candidate.
Good Thing #4 - Giving the guest things to do: Late night shows are advertising in nature. Guests usually come on the show because they have something to promote or plug. That doesn't seem to be the only requirement for getting on Fallon's show. The guests are treated as members of a family talent show who have to perform or participate in something to help the show move along. The most surprising moment was when Fallon challenged tennis star Serena Williams to a round of beer pong. The least surprising moment was when Williams whooped Fallon's monkey ass.
Good Thing #5 - Lick It for $10: It's simple, really. I'm a guy. I like to watch chicks lick things, whether it's for money or for bus fare. Mark my words, the Late Night staff have a zucchini or a miniature model of the Washington Monument they are saving for their first Sweeps Week.
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Reader Comments (Page 1 of 1)
3-09-2009 @ 11:14AM
MJL said...
"Drummer ?uestlove's stoneface expression could make for a perfect punchline in the right context..."
I liked this idea better when Max Weinberg did it for 10 years.
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3-09-2009 @ 11:34AM
Aaron said...
Obviously it's subjective, but 7th Floor West was the highlight of the week for me. I've seen enough of The Hills clips on The Soup for it to be hilarious.
I personally enjoy his show, but I'm still concerned others won't in the long run. Fingers crossed.
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3-09-2009 @ 1:09PM
matthew barnes said...
first, let me say, to all the people who are about to make comments about how he's not as good as Conan...
we know. it's an unfair comparison. Conan took a long time to get to where he was when he left. he worked hard to become the Conan we love. people were vicious about Conan when he started and now look how much we all love him. best of all, Conan will be back!
now, Jimmy got off to a rough start on Monday night. however, comparing the Monday night show to the Friday night show (or even the Wednesday night show) is like looking at two different programs. did he "nail it?" not quite. but the fact that he was able to make that much progress in a week gives me great hope for Jimmy Fallon. and once Conan is back on the air in June, i think we're going to have ourselves a nice couple hours of television.
(though i hate that i'm going to have to choose between Conan and Dave.)
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3-09-2009 @ 1:47PM
Tim Dorr said...
My thoughts exactly. He's getting up to speed and it make take a long time to get there. For instance, he's just found his sort of "signature move" during the monologue. He does that bowling thing, akin to Conan's string dance. He's still feeling these things out and it'll get there eventually. I think Conan's takeover of the Tonight Show is a good timeframe for that.
3-09-2009 @ 11:51AM
Wii60 said...
I watched the first and second nights and didn't go back. He's so uncomfortable with people he doesn't know, and the comedy falls flat.
I look forward to watching Ferguson now, as I never got to see him when he was up against Conan.
I will watch this week though when the diggnation guys are on, and I'll check in after a few months to see if he's gotten more comfortable.
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3-09-2009 @ 12:04PM
Brian said...
I usually don't stay up late enough to tune into any of these guys, but I did DVR one of Fallon's shows just out of curiosity, and if I watched these guys on a regular basis, Ferguson would be my choice, by far. Fallon was awful.
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3-09-2009 @ 12:28PM
Elizabeth said...
Yeah, have you ever watched The Hills or The City or Laguna Beach? I think not, because the painful parts that go on for eternity were HILARIOUS because they occur in the real shows. Every single facial expression, the inflection of the voices, the lighting, the music-overs, the stupid captions, everything. BEST Hills/City/Laguna Beach parody EVER.
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3-09-2009 @ 12:12PM
Rocketboy said...
Please, never say 'bromance' ever again.
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3-09-2009 @ 12:24PM
Sam said...
I'd rather watch Late Night with The Roots. They're the only good part of the show.
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3-09-2009 @ 12:31PM
Cyantre said...
I thought the Bromance novels were terrible.
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3-09-2009 @ 12:34PM
Joe said...
I thought Jimmy did great in his first week. Conan left some pretty big shoes to fill and I don't think it is fair to expect him to fill them in the first week.
Lick it for 10!!!!
http://www.joeonthetube.com
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3-09-2009 @ 1:29PM
filminghiphop said...
it was good. as with most shows like this, it will take a little time to work out the kinks and find the right audience. but the roots are doing great.
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3-09-2009 @ 1:17PM
Jimmy said...
I watched the first night and DVR'd to see his Tina Fey interview. Definitely not one I will keep up with on a regular basis. I'm a CBS guy (Letterman and Ferguson).
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3-09-2009 @ 1:25PM
Modwild said...
I thought Bromance was awful, as was Beef Solvers. And if his interviews with Crudup and Diaz were his comfortable (good?) interviews...dear god help him with rest.
He comes off as achingly uncomfortable and completely out of his element. Looking back at SNL news, this is just his style, but one I cannot watch for an hour at a time.
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3-09-2009 @ 1:31PM
Steve said...
I didn't see the first episode which i heard was somewhat painful but I enjoyed the rest of the week and thought that he did a pretty good job, for the most part the monologue jokes were pretty good. there is definitely room for improvement but overall I'd say it was a pretty good first week.
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3-09-2009 @ 2:47PM
Jon said...
I thought it was pretty good for his first week as a talk show host. There were certainly some tough moments (The entire Bobby D. appearance) but there were some really great moments as well (Beer Pong and I'm a sucker for Lick it for $10, though they need to amp up the Jackass factor just a smidge not much, just enough to give pause to the occasional contestant).
As for The Roots, I thought it was just enough of a taste for what they bring to the show. They were brought into the fold in some fashion nearly every night (Slow Jam the News - Mon, a good chunk of the Justin Timberlake interview - Tue, Bon Jovi and the karaoke fan duet - Wed, Ludacris - Thurs). If there would have been anymore Roots action we'd be talking about him relying too much on them, you know it. It was a nice sampling of what they bring and what we can expect going forward. The announcer seemed under used I must agree.
The monologue nearly ended my giving the show a chance Monday but after that someone realized it needed to be about 3 jokes and off to the desk, good call because it was harder to realize he WAS reading cue cards in under 3 jokes. He also must have someone helping with his interrupting the guests because he was better about that toward the end of the week. I DVR'd the whole week and watched all 5 episodes while lounging around on Sat and the difference was noticeable from Monday to Friday and I think it was a good different, the Media Center PC will be recording it again this week.
How about a little love to your sister site Engadgets own Josh Topolsky who will be on tonight. If you haven't seen the interview from CES hit up this link, good stuff:
http://www.engadget.com/2009/03/03/jimmy-fallon-and-engadget-together-again-march-9th/
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3-09-2009 @ 3:06PM
David said...
I didn't like the first few shows, but I've made a mental note to try the show out again in 2011 or 2012. It took Conan many years to truly find his stride, in my opinion, and perhaps Fallon will find his down the road, too.
For now, I'm an unabashed Craig lover. (Cue Craig: oooh!)
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3-10-2009 @ 2:19PM
Justin said...
I think Jimmy was great FOR A FIRST WEEK. Some of you think he should already be Conan, Letterman, or even Fergueson but there's no pleasing some people.
He clearly connects to the crowd and I think in a late night setting, his true nature comes out much more than it did during SNL and subsequent acting roles.
It's going to take months before Fallon and the staff figure out what works (and then refine it) while also stumbling through a lot of what doesn't work and getting rid of it and refining it to make it work (for example, Like It for 10 could be hilarious but it needs a lot of work).
I know many of you just won't give him a chance because he was psuedo-Adam Sandler in the late 90s and early 00s--I was one of you. Now, I think he was a solid choice to take over the timeslot.
It's funny how people forget (or never saw) just how terrible Conan, Andy, and staff were during their first year. The first week of Fallon was so much smoother than that whole first Conan year. Give the guy a chance--you can't judge a Late Night show just by its first few weeks, its first month, or even a few months. Are you attention spans that bad? Is your patience that low? No wonder crap stays on TV while good, long, patient TV gets kicked to the curb (minus Lost, which is a one-in-a-million show).
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3-10-2009 @ 2:25PM
Justin said...
And how can you not like The Hills parody? Like others, I've never watched the show or its spin-offs but from what The Soup shows and clips I've seen inserted into other shows, it was perfect. It proved that Jimmy and his staff have talent.
So did last night's Gasden Purchase joke. It was the kind of joke Conan would have done because it's old-timey in nature.
Which is another positive of Fallon's: he isn't trying to cater to frat boys (though Monday and Tuesday's audiences were full of 'em). I'm beginning to think that Studio 60 was right when they were trying to tell us that pompous comedians and writers that know little bits of unknown history do come up with funny sketches for everyone.
3-10-2009 @ 9:20PM
Kevin said...
I agree with the others saying that he positively progressed throughout the week. I liked how he made fun of himself for sweating profusely during his interview with Deniro. I think he'll do fine over time as long as he gets comfortable. He kept using filler words like "awesome" which got annoying after a few hundred times.
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