jackybetman: Jimmy Fallon ‘The Tonight Show’ Premiere: Review Roundup, Video Highlights

Jimmy Fallon is now the host of ‘The Tonight Show’ and his premiere episode has received positive reviews. See video highlights from the show — with all of its many surprises — and check out a roundup of what television critics have to say about the transition.

With its new host, Jimmy Fallon ‘The Tonight Show’ has returned to its original New York City where it began in the 1950s with the original host and creator Steve Allen. And in paying tribute to that auspicious return, the opening sequence was directed by none other than legendary filmmaker Spike Lee.

Jimmy Fallon addressed the audience in his opening monologue with a veiled reference to the tumultuous recent past history of show hosts — the twice departing Jay Leno, and Conan O’Brien who, in retrospect, was an inadvertent temporary host. He said, “I’m Jimmy Fallon, and I’ll be your host — for now.”

But longtime host Jay Leno — who held the chair since the early 1990s — has called it quits for good this time, and Jimmy Fallon who rose to fame first as a Saturday Night Live cast member, is now entrusted with the program. Along with his announced guests Will Smith and U2 he delivered a memorable first episode.

With Will Smith he brought forth one of his more popular recurrent ‘Evolution of Dancing’ skits. This time it was the ‘Evolution of Hip-Hop Dancing.’ And as a first, U2 performed on the rooftop of 30 Rockefeller Plaza once again underscoring ‘The Tonight Show’ is firmly rooted in New York City.

And there were some surprises, of course. We might have expected some celebrity guests to show up unannounced, much as they did on Jimmy Fallon’s final episode of ‘Late Night.’ Indeed our expectations were not just met but exceeded.

It started out simply enough. Jimmy Fallon, at the desk said a friend had bet him a hundred dollars that he would never host ‘The Tonight Show.’ And, along came that friend, with a hundred dollar bill to make good on that bet. it was none other than Robert De Niro. He was followed by others making a similar payoff — among them Tina Fey, Lady Gaga, Lindsay Lohan, Kim Kardashian, Joe Namath, Rudy Giuliani, Stephen Colbert, just to name a few.

On Twitter the show and its various guests were trending topics for hours with the hashtag #JimmyFallon and others dominating.

And now that the first episode of the show has come and gone what do the television critics have to say? Overall they laud Jimmy Fallon for his niceness Here is a roundup.

“….Even with celebrity cameos (Tina Fey, Stephen Colbert, Robert De Niro, among many others) and high-profile guests like Will Smith and the band U2, Mr. Fallon’s debut was more sweet than sassy. He was the grateful heir, the eager freshman, the class clown with top grades and a good heart — someone older viewers can embrace without fear of being mocked or overlooked…..” — The New York Times

“…..Apparently, it’s a rule that every Tonight Show host has to do an extended monologue, even though the format does not show Fallon to his best advantage. An animated delivery and vocal imitations can only carry you so far when the jokes aren’t particularly funny. His strengths lie elsewhere, as in a hip-hop dancing bit he did with Will Smith that highlighted his good-sport ability to get stars to play along with him. ….” — USA Today

“….If he didn’t exactly come roaring out of the gate, Fallon did demonstrate the mixture of old-world courteousness, junior-high-school goofiness and seemingly unending enthusiasm that has charmed audiences, network bosses and fellow stars. And when he restarted the show, coming out again to do the monologue, all about the Olympics, it felt a lot more like what Fallon’s “Tonight” will be….” — Chicago Tribune

“….As for this first night, I doubt Fallon could have done a better job. He booked Will Smith, an across-the-board, broad fan-favorite. The musical guest (and sit-down-to-chat participants as well) was U2. Ditto on the wide appeal. Both showed a lot of love for Fallon — and that’s really what it will take to win in the old school Tonight Show way. People need to know that the host is beloved and respected. They need to like him. Seeing other people like him doesn’t hurt. Smith astutely observed that, yes, The Tonight Show is a big deal, but: ‘People are coming because of your heart.’ That couldn’t be more true because it’s the ultimate Fallon hook…..” — The Hollywood Reporter

“….Fallon is much younger than Leno and much less weird than O’Brien. Theoretically, this could lose him viewers in the long run — the young viewers stick with O’Brien and Colbert and Kimmel, the old people move on to Letterman or wait patiently for Leno or suddenly discover that cable got invented decades ago. But in this first show, you could marvel at how effectively Fallon and his team have attempted to triangulate themselves. Fallon’s new set is purposefully old-fashioned compared to the college-cafe-in-the-meatpacking-district where he lived on Late Night…..” — Entertainment Weekly

“….For all his skills as a performer, though, Fallon is still a question mark in terms of his ability to make magic out of nothing at the desk, the place where Johnny Carson and David Letterman thrived – and endured. And frankly, his “Aw shucks, I’m just so happy to be here” posture in Monday’s maiden interviews with Smith and U2 got a little tedious even before the night was over…..” — Variety

With that first episode now come and gone, it remains to be seen how will Jimmy Fallon fare week after week in the highly competitive late-night television talk show arena, and that’s what the critics, the media and the viewers alike are curious to know.

In the meantime, there is but one premiere episode and you can watch highlights video of that first-ever opening night ‘The Tonight Show with Jimmy Fallon’ below!

Opening Monologue