Premiere (The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon)
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The untitled debut episode of American late-night talk show ''
The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon ''The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon'' is an American late-night talk show hosted by Jimmy Fallon that airs on NBC. The show premiered on February 17, 2014, and is produced by Broadway Video and Universal Television. It is the seventh incar ...
'' is the first episode to air in 2014, and the first episode of the series overall. The debut episode originally aired in the
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on February 17, 2014 on
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.


Synopsis

''The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon'' premiered on February 17, 2014, following NBC's coverage of the Winter Olympics (the show started at midnight, past its usual 11:35 start time, as a result). Fallon strolled out to applause, making light jokes referencing the storied franchise's host debacle of four years prior. He introduced his supporting stars and gave a brief history of his life and career, thanking his parents (who were in the audience) and the 5 previous Tonight Show hosts (
Steve Allen Stephen Valentine Patrick William Allen (December 26, 1921 – October 30, 2000) was an American television personality, radio personality, musician, composer, actor, comedian, and writer. In 1954, he achieved national fame as the co-cre ...
, Jack Paar, Johnny Carson, Jay Leno, and Conan O'Brien) and explaining how his nightly monologue would work. Following this, he once again took his place behind the curtain, restarting the show with more topical jokes on the Olympics and his first bit, ''Tonight Show'' Superlatives (an extension of a similarly titled bit from his ''Late Night'' tenure). After taking his place behind the desk for the first time, Fallon took a moment to chide a friend who once bet him $100 he would never host ''The Tonight Show''. After this, Robert De Niro emerged from behind the curtain, laid $100 down on Fallon's desk, and promptly exited; De Niro was Fallon's first guest on '' Late Night'' in 2009. Then, one by one, a line of celebrities followed to give Jimmy their $100, including
Tina Fey Elizabeth Stamatina "Tina" Fey (; born May 18, 1970) is an American actress, comedian, writer, producer, and playwright. She is best known for her work on the NBC sketch comedy series ''Saturday Night Live'' (1997–2006) and for creating the ...
, Joe Namath, former New York City Mayor Rudy Giuliani (who can be heard thanking Fallon for bringing ''Tonight'' back to the Big Apple), Mariah Carey,
Tracy Morgan Tracy Jamal Morgan (born November 10, 1968) is an American stand-up comedian and actor best known for his television work as a cast member on ''Saturday Night Live'' (1996–2003) and for his role as Tracy Jordan in the sitcom ''30 Rock'' (2006 ...
,
Joan Rivers Joan Alexandra Molinsky (June 8, 1933 – September 4, 2014), known professionally as Joan Rivers, was an American comedian, actress, producer, writer and television host. She was noted for her blunt, often controversial comedic persona—heavi ...
(a former guest host on Johnny Carson's ''
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'' making her first appearance on ''Tonight'' since falling out with Carson in the mid-1980s),
Kim Kardashian Kimberly Noel Kardashian (formerly West; born October 21, 1980) is an American socialite, media personality, and businesswoman. She first gained media attention as a friend and stylist of Paris Hilton, but received wider notice after the s ...
,
Seth Rogen Seth Aaron Rogen (; born April 15, 1982) is a Canadian-American actor, comedian and filmmaker. Originally a stand-up comedian in Vancouver, he moved to Los Angeles for a part in Judd Apatow's series '' Freaks and Geeks'', and then got a part o ...
, Lindsay Lohan, Sarah Jessica Parker, Mike Tyson,
Lady Gaga Stefani Joanne Angelina Germanotta ( ; born March 28, 1986), known professionally as Lady Gaga, is an American singer, songwriter, and actress. She is known for her image reinventions and musical versatility. Gaga began performing as a teenag ...
, and late-night rival
Stephen Colbert Stephen Tyrone Colbert ( ; born May 13, 1964) is an American comedian, writer, producer, political commentator, actor, and television host. He is best known for hosting the satirical Comedy Central program '' The Colbert Report'' from 2005 ...
. Colbert, the last to pay up, offered his $100 by dumping a bucket of pennies on Fallon, greeting him to the same time slot as his then current show, ''
The Colbert Report ''The Colbert Report'' ( ) is an American late-night talk and news satire television program hosted by Stephen Colbert that aired four days a week on Comedy Central from October 17, 2005, to December 18, 2014, for 1,447 episodes. The show fo ...
'', shouting "Welcome to 11:30, bitch!" to Fallon, and taking a selfie with him that he later posted to his
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feed. Following the first commercial break, guest
Will Smith Willard Carroll Smith II (born September 25, 1968), also known by his stage name The Fresh Prince, is an American actor and rapper. He began his acting career starring as a fictionalized version of himself on the NBC sitcom '' The Fresh ...
and Fallon launched into a pre-taped sketch titled "The Evolution of Hip-Hop Dancing," rotating through various synchronized moves such as the Robot, the Humpty Dance, the Dougie and more; when Fallon begins to twerk, Smith walks offstage in disgust. The next segment took place at the
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, the roof of the
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, with U2 performing their new single "
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" to the
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skyline as the sun set. The rooftop staging was devised by executive producer Lorne Michaels the previous Wednesday, with its odd placement in the middle of the show to take advantage of the sunset. Next, Fallon welcomed Smith for the interview, with topics ranging from his parody of
Willow Smith Willow Camille Reign Smith (born October 31, 2000), known mononymously as Willow (stylized in all caps), is an American singer and actress. The daughter of actors Will Smith and Jada Pinkett Smith, she has received various accolades, including ...
's "
Whip My Hair "Whip My Hair" is the debut single by American singer-songwriter Willow Smith, released in 2010 under the name Willow. The song was written by Ronald "Jukebox" Jackson and Janae Luann Ratliff, and produced by Ronald Jackson. "Whip My Hair" peaked ...
" as
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, and Smith's recent skydiving endeavor. U2 then returned and took their places on the couch for a short interview and an acoustic rendition of their single " Ordinary Love," accompanied by The Roots. Fallon ecstatically closed the show and ran through the audience, high-fiving fans and seeking out his parents in the audience.


Reception


Critical reviews

The debut episode received mixed but generally positive reviews. ''
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'' Alessandra Stanley referred to the show's premiere as "more sweet than sassy," calling Fallon "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." Steve Johnson of the ''
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'' wrote that "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." Darren Franich of ''
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'' wrote that "No one is more excited than Jimmy," noting that "It will be interesting to see over the months (and hopefully years) to follow how he evolves behind the desk." Robert Bianco of ''
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'' praised Fallon's "easy-to-like TV persona ndgentle style," calling the host well-suited to the format. Tim Goodman of ''
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'' was positive in his assessment of the evening, but noted the older fanbase used to Leno may not latch on as quickly. James Poniewozik of ''
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'' found Fallon's introduction, including his background and "incredibly brilliant ..So each introduction Fallon made was a chance to frame the story, from the beginning, in a way that could make these longtime Tonight viewers—many of them older—comfortable with him, even while he hopefully brought in new ones." Some critics, however, felt that Fallon overcompensated in terms of gratitude and humility. Bianco also said, "While gratitude and humility are admirable traits, there were times in Monday's opening moments when Fallon risked taking them to uncomfortable extremes." ''
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s Willa Paskin tended to agree, noting that "Fallon's appeal is how earnest and energetic he is: the king of comedic kindness. ..But his opening bit revealed just how much Fallon and his staff understand the power—and not just the authenticity—of Jimmy’s ultimate-nice-guy persona: They sold the hell out of it." "Indeed, Fallon comes across as eager to please almost to a fault, and he treated his ''Tonight Show'' launch very much like a guy auditioning to be accepted into homes," said Brian Lowry of ''
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'', who considered the premiere episode a demonstration in Fallon's strengths and weaknesses. Mary McNamara of the ''
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'' called it, following the hype, "conspicuously, and seemingly consciously, low-energy."


Ratings

The debut episode of ''The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon'' averaged a 3.8 rating in adults 18–49 and 11.31 million viewers overall in Nielsen's fast-national estimates. This made it the second-largest audience for ''The Tonight Show'' since May 2009, behind Leno's final farewell two weeks earlier, and the transition to Conan O'Brien nearly five years prior. The program's first full week averaged 8.490 million viewers, making it the franchise's most-watched week in 20 years.


References


External links


Will Smith/U2
at the
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{{DEFAULTSORT:Premiere (The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon) The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon 2014 American television episodes American television series premieres Jimmy Fallon