Trending News Monday: Why The Tonight Show with Jimmy Fallon is Here to Stay

“And now, here’s your host Jimmy Fallon!”

For the past 20 years, Jay Leno has been puking up the same material on The Tonight Show, which kept his viewers loyal and ratings steady; but, he never really learned how to appeal to the ever-growing Internet audience. So NBC did what they had to: they sent in the current king of TV to Internet content, Jimmy Fallon. Last Monday, Fallon took over Leno’s place as the host of The Tonight Show. So far things are going great for team Fallon, especially on social media.

On Late Night,  Fallon quickly grew into his own by creating short, funny bits that were perfect for the multi-device Internet audience who helped make Fallon a huge sensation on YouTube, Hulu, Twitter, Facebook and practically anywhere on the web where you can view and share media. Thanks to his mass “shareability” appeal, NBC finally graced him with the power to replace Leno as the almighty The Tonight Show host.

Other than nailing down a newer, more interactive audience, Fallon also has a lot of ammo in his “late night talk show host” arsenal that proves he’ll be just fine in his new role. For the past week–even though he had to compete in the social media realm with the Olympics–Jimmy Fallon has been at the center of the Internet conversation. This Trending News Monday, we’re sharing some of his biggest trends thus far (and the indicators of Fallon’s sure-fire success).

SIGNATURE BITS

On Late Night, Fallon developed some pretty great reoccurring bits. Once a bit caught Internet fire, his team was smart enough to write different versions with different guests on the show. These bits work perfectly for Fallon who hones his Saturday Night Live sketch comedy chops. Add that to the never-ending amount of talented guest appearing on the show, and they make for some pretty hilarious (sharable) sketches.

So far Fallon has brought back seven Late Night sketches to The Tonight Show: Tonight Show Superlatives, Evolution of Dancing, The Ragtime Gals, Brian Williams Raps, #Hashtag, Charades and, of course, “Ew!” Fallon’s Late Night fans (aka “Fal Pals”) who already saw these sketches resurrected on The Tonight Show probably freaked out with excitement like I did. Seeing bits and parts of what I loved about Late Night already shining through on The Tonight Show gives me an overwhelming glimmer of hope for Fallon’s hosting future.

MUSIC

One thing to know about Fallon is he’s a giant fan boy when it comes to music. Not only is Fallon a well-rounded music geek, but he also knows how to play guitar and (somewhat) sing. Naturally music was a key player in his Late Night bits. Humorous or not, his music bits were big winners with Internet viewers. One of the biggest Late Night viral videos was when Fallon and The Roots teamed up with Miley Cyrus to perform an a cappella version of her hit single “We Can’t Stop.”

Everyone’s favorite guest, Justin Timberlake, made his debut on Fallon’s Tonight Show Friday, and the duo didn’t disappoint (and kept The Tonight Show in the conversation all weekend with the “History of Rap 5”).

JIMMY HIMSELF

Fallon might just be the most likeable person in Hollywood these days. The man is just so goofy and loveable, how can you not like him? I’ve been a big Fallon fan ever since his first days on SNL when all he was known for was a goofy haircut and being the “guy who would laugh in every sketch.”

Fallon has already sent social media into a tizzy this week when he announced earlier today that he would participate in Chicago’s Polar Plunge (in exchange for Chicago’s Mayor Rahm Emanuel to appear on The Tonight Show).

Okay @RahmEmanuel I’m in. Lake Michigan will have a New York fish this weekend. #SwimmyFallon

— jimmy fallon (@jimmyfallon) February 24, 2014

Nowadays Fallon has made himself a huge player in the entertainment business, and his move to The Tonight Show proves it. You could tell by watching his first few minutes on The Tonight Show that he really was just excited to be there and happy to continue the show’s legacy. So, if you haven’t watched any of Jimmy Fallon’s take on The Tonight Show, you should probably start now because something tells me he’ll be there for a while.

Cover Photo: Featureflash / Shutterstock.com

[author] [author_image timthumb=’on’]https://wpmaster.sjadv.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/02/Our-Space-Emily-Iammarino-Bio-Picture.png[/author_image] [author_info]Emily is a Jr Art Director at SJG. A Chicago native, Emily earned a degree in Advertising and Graphic Design from DePaul University. She is known as a concert enthusiast who will never let a live show from any of her favorite musicians go unseen. She’s constantly seeking out the best new music and always attending the best live shows. Recently she got to cross an extravagant musical event called “HOLY SHIP!!” (go look it up) off her bucket list . When not going out, Emily likes to stay in with friends, drink wine and binge-watch Netfilx. [/author_info] [/author]