Fallon So Far

When Conan O’Brien began his reign on Late Night back in 1993, the critics were harsh. The man had previously been employed as a comedy writer and had no on-camera experience; it wasn’t unforeseeable that he might have difficulties adjusting to the ways of the TV talk show. After a few years, the critics relented and gave O’Brien kudos for a much-improved show.

Cut to 2009: Jimmy Fallon takes over for Conan after years on Saturday Night Live and a couple failed films. This guy should be a natural out of the gate, right? Wrong! Fallon was understandably nervous coming on stage for his inaugural monologue. What I can’t figure out, though, is if he was nervous because it was his first show or because he knew deep down that the material he went out there with wasn’t funny. He even admitted as much in the second show, telling the well-trained audience that “some of these are just of me.” And therein lies Late Night with Jimmy Fallon’s biggest problem: too much of the show is geared toward what Fallon and his crew find funny without taking into account how it might actually play to an audience.

Among the lead-lined bits on the first few nights were a game called "Lick It for Ten" in which audience members lick items such as a lawn mower and a computer printer for ten bucks, a Facebook status update with members of the audience (typical joke: “Sharon Greene is…drunk”) that went on way too long, and a just-because dance-off with Cameron Diaz. In an unsuccessful effort to set itself apart from other talk shows, it just comes off as forced and unnatural. None of the comedy seems organic or fully realized.

Fallon’s interviewing skills don’t add anything to the proceedings, either. Scoring Robert De Niro as his first guest, Fallon dominated the conversation with uninteresting anecdotes about his own life, before subjecting the Oscar winner to a lousy skit about a train headed to space. Even when Fallon’s old “Weekend Update” partner Tina Fey showed up on night two, he still looked uncomfortable and didn’t really have a grasp on what they might talk about. (Incidentally, Fey herself was fine, clearly demonstrating that she would make a terrific host if she ever wanted to go in that direction.)

It may not sound like it, but I really wanted to like the new Late Night. It can’t be easy putting yourself out there for the world to lambaste every night. But Fallon simply doesn’t deliver. Maybe before too long—and time generally favors late night hosts—he can accomplish what Conan did: entertain himself while remembering that there are millions out there who need to be in on the joke, too.