Watch Jimmy Fallon's earnest, all-star Tonight Show debut

Will Fallon's charming brand of "nice" late night TV keep NBC's Tonight franchise alive?

Stephen Colbert showers Jimmy Fallon
(Image credit: NBC/YouTube)

On Monday night, NBC's storied Tonight Show kicked off a new chapter in its old home city, New York, with its new host, Jimmy Fallon. As Fallon noted in his introduction (watch above), he follows Steve Allen, Jack Paar, Johnny Carson, Jay Leno, and — famously briefly — Conan O'Brien. Fallon made a few lighthearted jabs at the Leno-Conan debacle, and he promised to make fun of everybody — "anyone I can make fun of, I will," he said — but mostly he kept things nice.

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Peter Weber, The Week US

Peter has worked as a news and culture writer and editor at The Week since the site's launch in 2008. He covers politics, world affairs, religion and cultural currents. His journalism career began as a copy editor at a financial newswire and has included editorial positions at The New York Times Magazine, Facts on File, and Oregon State University.