5 Reasons Jimmy Fallon Belongs On The Tonight Show (And One Reason He Might Not)

Leno-Fallon It€™s unofficially official: barring some cataclysmic event, Jimmy Fallon will be taking over for Jay Leno on the Tonight Show by 2014. The New York Times, among others, reported on the news that NBC, while refusing to comment on the rumors of Fallon's transition, did confirm that they are already building a new set for him in New York City. Rumour has it that when Fallon takes over the 11:35 show, he€™ll be bringing it back to New York from California. The move is exciting in a lot of ways, and is most likely the best choice NBC can make. Read on to see five reasons why Jimmy Fallon is the right host for the Tonight Show.

5. He€™ll Bridge The Age Gap

late-night-with-jimmy-fallon-joins-the-esquire-network-lineup-on-april-24th In the grand scheme of things, Jimmy Fallon is a fairly young performer €“ he€™s 38, compared to Jay Leno at 62 and David Letterman at 65. While Leno does tend to come out on top in the ratings at 11:35, Fallon is able to do the same in his bracket at 12:35. Leno€™s Tonight Show ratings and Letterman€™s Late Show ratings have seesawed back and forth in recent months as they battled for supremacy in their timeslot. With his ratings already strong in the key 18-49 age bracket, a move to 11:35 will likely only boost Fallon€™s numbers. Along with his regular television viewers, Fallon is also very much in touch with the internet generation, whom he is familiar to via his viral videos and Saturday Night Live stint. Because of this, he may be able to draw younger viewers back to the Tonight Show.
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Matt is a freelance writer and aspiring TV and film scriptwriter. He has a bizarrely eclectic skillset, and the interests to match. Find more of his work and ramblings over at the Breakwater Industries page on Facebook. He is a regular contributor to WhatCulture.com, and his work has also appeared in the essay collection "Joss Whedon: The Complete Companion", published by Titan Books.