海角大神

Jimmy Fallon took over NBC's "The Tonight Show"聽Monday night with a characteristically sincere pronouncement 鈥� 鈥渢his is important鈥� 鈥撀燼s he introduced everyone聽from himself as a proud 39-year-old dad of a new daughter and his parents (in the cheering studio audience) to his announcer, his cue cards, and even the four-leaf clover that guides him to his stage mark for the opening monologue.

Mr. Fallon also reminded folks that the show has returned to its Manhattan roots. The late-night franchise began in the Big Apple more than half a century ago with hosts Steve Allen, Jack Paar, and even Johnny Carson, who then moved聽it to 鈥渂eautiful downtown Burbank,鈥� some 42 years ago.

The show聽is back in its original聽setting in a Rockefeller Center studio. But storied history aside, hosting hand-offs are by no means guaranteed to be successful, as NBC鈥檚 fumbled 2009 attempt to replace Jay Leno with Conan O鈥橞rien amply demonstrated.

And so, say TV experts, Fallon鈥檚 ramble down memory lane was as much reminding viewers that聽the show has survived previous incarnations as it was asking for their patience with this latest transformation.

The new host is going to need this, says Robert Thompson, founder of the Bleier Center for Television and Popular Culture at Syracuse University in New York.聽

鈥淟ate night has completely transformed since the early days of a single show聽dominating the time slot,鈥� he points out. The 11:30 p.m. TV landscape not only boasts more than a dozen competing comedy shows 鈥� from David Letterman to Jimmy Kimmel, Stephen Colbert, and Arsenio Hall 鈥� but it has cult聽programs such as Adult Swim drawing off eyeballs of the night owls.

Commentary on Fallon鈥檚 debut has been mixed, ranging from the New York Daily news, which聽gave the show a Brooklyn聽shrug, to Time.com鈥檚 suggestion that the show may be 鈥渋ncredibly brilliant,鈥� to the Hollywood Reporter鈥檚聽cautionary note that just because you got the job, doesn鈥檛 guarantee success: 鈥淭here is no narrative now about hallowed tradition.鈥�

Fallon will have to earn his audience, says Professor Thompson, but聽there is reason to suggest he may succeed, where for instance, the edgier Mr. O鈥橞rien did not. (His ascension lasted less than a year, culminating with聽NBC unceremoniously returning Leno to the chair.)

Success in the 21st century may mean combining the banal with the brilliant and a touch of business savvy, says Thompson, to come up with the sort of middle-of-the road format that will appeal to a wide range of viewers.

This was Carson鈥檚 real gift, says Thompson. 鈥淐arson has become sanctified as TV genius,鈥澛爃e says, but 鈥渢he fact is if you randomly look at Carson 鈥楾onight Shows鈥� they were聽kind of 鈥榚h.鈥� 鈥澛燙arson did nice interviews, but, says Thompson, what he really did 鈥渨as make people comfortable.鈥�

Indeed, if such a thing is already possible, the debut show featured vintage good-natured Jimmy Fallon, says Mark Lashley, a professor of communication at La Salle University in Philadelphia.

Fallon got guests involved with the comedy bits, he notes,聽as actor Will Smith joined for a very funny 鈥淓volution of Hip-Hop Dancing,鈥澛爐here were tried and true routines聽such as the 鈥淭onight Show Superlative鈥� segment, and聽incredibly enthusiastic celebrity interviews.

And in a segment with the band U2 that closed the broadcast, says Professor Lashley via e-mail,聽the show served up 鈥渁 really fun, outside-the-box acoustic performance that got the crowd, the house band, Smith, and Fallon involved (while still managing to poke a little fun at the faux-spontaneity of it all).鈥�

After decades of anti-comedy from the likes of Steve Martin, Andy Kaufman, and CBS competitor David Letterman, Fallon鈥檚 genuine affability may be the secret to success in 21st century late-night broadcasting, says Len Shyles, a communications professor at Villanova University in Philadelphia.

鈥淟ate-night television represents reassuring and light entertainment, has a track record, sets a tone that viewers are familiar with and have come to enjoy,鈥� he says via e-mail.聽But perhaps more than the longevity of the genre that breeds comfort and familiarity, he notes, the excellence of the production values makes for a more enjoyable "lean-back" experience.

The聽evening showcased Fallon鈥檚 ability to draw A-list talent. A parade of celebrities, including Robert DeNiro, Stephen Colbert, Sarah Jessica Parker, Lady GaGa, Mariah Carey, and more streamed onstage in a bit about a $100 bet Fallon supposedly made with friends over whether he would ever ascend to 鈥楾he Tonight Show鈥� berth.

And perhaps, more pointedly, in a nod to the iconic London swansong by the Beatles in 1969, the band U2 performed on the Rockefeller Center rooftop against the backdrop of a multi-colored New York City skyline sunset.

鈥淚 think of events like the Superbowl and the Olympics, and I think broadcasters still are the best at doing such challenging productions,鈥� notes Shyles.聽Perhaps broadcasting still has its advantages in reaching large audiences, he says,聽鈥淓ven in the world of late-night entertainment.鈥�

Maybe late-night programs like 鈥淭he Tonight Show鈥� still benefit from operating out of a broadcast model, he adds, even though there is now an online alternative.