Late Night with Jimmy Fallon

Many people will tell you Jimmy Fallon was the bane of Saturday Night Live in the 2000s. He laughed during sketches and seemed to just be there for his “boyish charm” and sex appeal instead of any real comedic talent. He sucked in movies too. Why should you watch Late Night with Jimmy Fallon?

Getting hired as a late night network talk show host is like getting tenure at an Ivy League institute. And as is such with tenured professors, being fired from Princeton doesn't mean you couldn't get a good gig going at Cornell, or at least NYU. The dust has settled with Jay Leno back at The Tonight Show, Conan on basic cable and Carson Daily still on Mars. Late Night with Jimmy Fallon managed to get through its first year on air, surviving Chevy Chase syndrome. Jimmy Fallon is not Craig Ferguson or Chevy Chase or Conan O’Brian or Jay Leno or Letterman and that is why Late Night is a success.

Unlike other the other late night hosts, Jimmy Fallon’s strength is not primarily his persona, but instead the production surrounding it. Fallon is the opposite of what a late night host should be according to the standardly followed Johnny Carson precedent. His monologue is usually weak (and smartly kept short) and he is usually too star-struck by his guests to ask any seriously investigatory questions. Though the interviews and monologues have both improved over the past year, the highlights of Late Night are the fantastically absurd comedy creations by Fallon’s writers and producers.

The Fallon writing staff includes A.D. Miles of Wet Hot American Summer and Tim and Eric Show fame; fellow Wet Hot writer with credits including Strangers with Candy and the gone to soon Stella, David Wain; Morgan Murphy, who recently won the ECNY award (the New York City comedian’s Oscar) for best female standup; and Jon Friedman, creator of the cult hit Upright Citizen’s Brigade Theatre Rejection Show, who may or may not be responsible for Late Night’s distinct New-York-underground-comedy-scene feel. Put all these writers in a room and you have material not even Jimmy Fallon could screw up.

One consistently risible segment of the show that is a prime example of the Late Night writer’s skills is “Thank You Notes.” Root’s pianist Jamal plays a melodramatic lifetime movie esque tune while Jimmy reads aloud in as sincere a tone as he can manage his weekly thank you notes. For example, “Thank you crutches, for letting me know how people would walk if our legs came out of our armpits.” or “Thank you ponytails, for making the backs of girls heads look like horse butts.”

The production quality of Jimmy Fallon has to be the most creative if not best in late night. The visuals are practically as aesthetically intriguing as they are funny. “Ultimate Moustache Fighter” involves two giant sized famous moustaches (the most recent match up: Santana vs. 80’s John Oates) fighting in a UFC style octagon competition enclosure complete with authentically ridiculous commentary by Jimmy and sidekick/announcer Steve Higgins.

Consistent with its hip humor is Late Night’s outstanding online content which is the key to retaining a television audience in this day and age of YouTube and DVR. Late night talk shows traditionally have to compete with sleep- Jimmy Fallon does not.

If you’re still not convinced, did I mention The Roots are the house band?