Jimmy Fallon's First Show: The Reviews Are In

Jimmy Fallon's 'Late Night' premiered last night to high ratings and mixed reviews. Most thought it was an awkward start, but acknowledged that judging a show on its first episode isn't necessarily a good barometer of how it will perform in the long run.

"Entertainment Weekly" didn't hold back:

"He did an ultra-ordinary monologue -- one liners about President Obama and the deficit that sounded like material Jay Leno's writers had faxed over from L.A."

"Time" pointed out:

"...His booker must hate him. How else do you explain putting Robert DeNiro on as Fallon's very first guest ever? DeNiro's a huge star, but his reticence is no joke, and the sit-down quickly had Fallon trying to entertain DeNiro with anecdotes, as if he were the guest on his own show."

"WaPo"'s Tom Shales wrote:

"It didn't seem to have attitude, direction or an identifiable style -- a newborn already suffering an identity crisis...It did have a few laughs, however -- and that's nothing to snicker at."

Gabe Delahaye at Videogum acknowledged the talented team behind the show:

"In the end, it seems like the test of this show is going to be if Jimmy Fallon can grow into it. As I mentioned yesterday, he's made so many smart choices in putting this thing together. The Roots and the writing staff are incredible. Even the set is nice. But for the time being, Jimmy doesn't seem to know what to do with all of these treasures."

"Chicago Tribune" TV critic, Maureen Ryan said:

"Sweaty, tense, uptight, nervous, wound-up, keyed up -- pick an adjective. Any one of them would describe Fallon's demeanor on opening night."

Jossip's Drew Grant, in her post "Oh God, This Fallon Show Is a Trainwreck," said of his DeNiro interview:

"Fallon just grinned nervously and read off the cue cards like the trained ape that he is. On the other hand, everyone tuned in to watch Fallon fail, so if he can keep up the schadenfreude numbers until he actually gets good, he might actually have a hit on his hands."

"New York" magazine's culture blog was kinder:

"We liked the show's opening bit, in which Conan O'Brien squelched any rumors of Fallon snubbage by handing over the keys to the Late Night castle in typically self-deprecating fashion. We also thought that the pre-filmed Target Demographics segment was a wry way to address some early criticism that the show might be gravitating too much toward shilliness."

Comments

[callie1]

I love the house band that Fallon has! I think Fallon is a nice guy who has been running on luck alone. He is lacking the kind of talent needed for a talk show. I thought every now and then he did some cute skits on SNL, but not a stand out. I think he would be a fun friend to have. He would be funny in a small little group of friends, telling jokes in a bar. I would not put him in front of an audience any larger than a few friends.

[kinoptikation]

Jimmy Fallon is a MUST TANK... C'mon, Fallon against Craig Ferguson? It used to be close when Conan was on but this guy is NO MATCH AT ALL

[jfoxx]

the difference is that Conan is a genuinely funny guy and a terrific writer of jokes. He paid dues and earned his spot on SNL through good writing. Fallon got his gig on SNL only because of an Adam Sandler impression that made Lorne Michaels chuckle.

[ClearingtheAir2010]

None of this surprises me. Jimmy Fallon is not a funny person. He made a terrible movie, and used to laugh at his own jokes on SNL....not funny.

[vincefango]

As a side note...The Roots are great. (forgot to include that in my previous post)

[vincefango]

Bloody he ll, critics...give the guy a chance. Conan was awkward at the beginning and at that time I thought Max's band was the worst in showbiz. By the third year I thought they were all the greatest in TV history. Time (not the magazine) gives everyone a chance.

[schnapster31]

BA-BA BOOEY!!!!!

[ashleelisbeth]

I think his show is better than Kimmel's.

[SouthernYankeeBelle]

I saw it last night. I thought he was trying to hard. But give the kid a chance will ya. I didn't care that much for Conan. I watched him two or 3 times. Still not impressed with Conan. I will give the Kid a chance. Chill everybody. Looks like some of you wish he would fail.

[jayburd]

His predecessors, O'Brien and Letterman both have powerful stage presence. Jimmy Fallon, not so much. So far he seems goofy and unsure. Like he's a guest on his own show...

[VanTango]

hes growing on me. he just needs to annunciate his words and do more research on his guests. the roots are saving him really. all the aesthetics of the show are nice, i'm on the fence about him too but he's only done TWO shows. do any of you remember conan's first two shows of jay's first two shows?

[jayburd]

I remember Conan having John Goodman as his first guest and I remember being impressed with him from the get go. He's a natural.

[bigironal25]

Jimmy Fallon reminds me of a kid who has had everything given to him throughout his whole life! I have no proof but I think that SNL could have done better with somebody else in his place!

[KristaJulieva]

I'm on the fence about Fallon in general...I've always been a big SNL fan, but I think he was somewhat of a weak link during his tenure. But I find it absurd that people are commenting upon the particulars of his first show. Who cares? There will be another show tonight and all this week and next week and next month and so on. What's interesting is the broader format:

He goes old-school, coming out of a curtain like in the old days...no other late night host does that nowadays. He hews to the typical late night format of monologue, bits, interviews, music. The Roots, however, give the show a very contemporary feel. Contrast the opening credits, with Fallon sprinting and The Roots playing a rock/funk theme with all the other shows in late night.

Will it end up being a genuinely good show? That'll take months or years to tell. Hopefully they give him that much time; it certainly took Conan a while. I myself think Jimmy should be a little more adventurous with the show's format, while keeping some nods to tradition (I love the curtain thing).

[EmotionDetector]

I don't particularly care for Jimmy Fallon, I would have preferred Jon Stewart over him to replace Conan.

[Patricia84]

It's kind of selfish ... but I rather him stay on TDS. I love this show and want it to stay that way.

[SColbert]

Yes, I agree. Jon would not even take a late night job. His show is perfect right now.

[hilts]

Jimmy Fallon can't host his way out of a paper bag.

Watching Late Night with Jimmy Fallon is a form of enhanced interrogation.

Jimmy Fallon needs to be taken off the air ASAP!!!