Late-night talk shows are a staple of American Television. The men who have successfully hosted post-primetime shows have gone on to be some of the most well-known and respected personalities in show business. In most cases, people only get one shot to make a good first impression. If you are taking over as the host of “The Tonight Show,” however, you get a little more leeway. Especially with the recent Conan O’Brien takeover/departure debacle, trust is a serious issue for late-night viewers.

So when Jay Leno decided to give up his throne as the host of “The Tonight Show” a final time (hopefully), he tapped former late-late night host and “Saturday Night Live” all-star Jimmy Fallon to become a member in the fraternity of great talk show comedians.

Fallon gracefully accepted the promotion and decided to immediately switch things up before he even took a seat at his desk on stage. The most dramatic change was the relocation from Hollywood, where the show had been held since the ‘70s, to New York City, where it originated 60 years ago. He also switched the title to “The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon,” harkening back to when the legendary Johnny Carson was at the helm. Lastly, bringng his Late Night house band, The Roots, with him, all the pieces were set for Fallon to have a grand reopening of The Tonight Show. It was just up to him to perform.

Fallon began the highlight of his career last Monday, when he came out from behind the blue curtains in NBC studios to the voice of announcer Steve Higgins, an exuberant performance by The Roots and a standing ovation from the live audience.

Rather than starting the show like business as usual, Fallon took about half of the opening segment to express his gratitude for his new position and thank all of the people in his life responsible for his success. He took one final round of applause before retreating back behind the curtain to start over. The crowd went silent, The Roots replayed their opening piece, and Fallon reemerged on stage. His Tonight Show run had officially begun.

Over the course of the week, Fallon hosted a wide array of celebrities that were not necessarily there to promote themselves, but instead to promote their friend at the desk. Will Smith, Jerry Seinfeld, Kristen Wiig, Bradley Cooper, Will Farrell, Justin Timberlake, and even First Lady Michelle Obama made appearances on the show to bolster the starting lineup of Jimmy’s first week (not to mention the slew of stars that greeted him on his first night with $100 bills he had unknowingly won from them in a bet).

The unique aspect of Fallon as the host is that he will not only sit down and speak with each of his guests, but also include them in his own comedic skits. He showcased his dance moves with Will Smith in a demonstration of the evolution of hip-hop dance, proved his singing ability in a barbershop quartet rendition of “Ignition” by R. Kelly, combined both of those skills in an evolution of rap skit with Justin Timberlake and brought back some improvisation from his SNL days while playing charades with Bradley Cooper, Tim McGraw and Emma Thompson. His interactions with the guests make the talk show more like a game show environment, which is more entertaining to watch.

As expected, taking over one of the most watched shows on television came with a little bit of anxiety. Fallon seemed too dependent on the easy laughs, such as Toronto mayor Rob Ford’s crack cocaine use. He also tended to laugh hysterically at everything his guests would say, regardless of how funny it was. Fallon ran into a particularly awkward moment with U2 lead singer Bono when he asked him to give an inspirational speech about a coffee mug that Bono clearly was not in the mood to do. Bono is not a guy you want to make uncomfortable during your first day on the job. Then again, how could you not be nervous when dealing with all those big shots?

I was impressed with Fallon’s start to his Tonight Show career and am looking forward to seeing what he does next. It’s highly unlikely that he will ever have the same skit twice, and that combined with his light-hearted humor is going to make him a mainstay for many years. Congrats, Jimmy.

mfreter@mavs.coloradomesa.edu