“The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon” Remains at the Top of the Must-See TV List – Ed Martin

A few weeks back in my fourpart Top 20 Programs of 2014 series I designated NBCamp8217s amp8220The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallonamp8221 as the Program of the Year As the Fallonized version of amp8220Tonightamp8221 charges toward its first anniversary February 17 itamp8217s good to see that it isnamp8217t losing any of that first year magic and still feels as fresh and new as it did twelve months ago Click on the pictures below to see whyConsider the treats Fallon and his team have delivered this week when the show has been more entertaining than anything else on television Granted it has been an atypical few days with the show being telecast from Phoenix very late on Sunday night after the Super Bowl and then moving over to Los Angeles for a series of shows from the city amp8220Tonightamp8221 called home for over 40 years beginning with Johnny Carsonamp8217s decision to take it from Manhattan to Burbank circa 1972It was difficult to tell on Sundayamp8217s show which segment was more fun Celebrity Photobomb with Chris Pratt and Chris Evans pictured above or the a cappella performance of amp8220We are the Championsamp8221 by Fallon the Roots Carrie Underwood Sam Smith Ariana Grande Blake Shelton Usher Meghan Trainor One Direction and Christina Aguilera presented in the same format as the iconic opening credits of amp8220The Brady Bunchamp8221 pictured below or the epic Lip Sync Battle with Will Ferrell Kevin Hart and Fallon with a surprise guest appearance by Drew BarrymoreOn Monday amp8211 his first night in Los Angeles amp8211 Fallon started things off with a amp8220Saturday Night Liveamp8221worthy riff on the amp8220Fresh Prince of Bel Airamp8221 theme song titled amp8220The Fresh Host of Tonightamp8221On Tuesday Fallon dressed and sounding like Neil Young performed the Neil Young classic amp8220Old Manamp8221 as seen below with the man himself It was yet another reminder as if it were needed that Fallon is a master at impersonating famous singers and a talented performer in his own rightTuesday also featured another amp8220Passwordamp8221 sketch with Fallon Ellen DeGeneres Reese Witherspoon and Steve Carell If I had to choose I would pick the resurrection of this classic game show as a recurring bit as my favorite element of the new amp8220Tonightamp8221For those of us with long and cherished memories of amp8220Tonightamp8221 dating all the way back to the Johnny Carson era perhaps the coolest thing about Tuesdayamp8217s show was the return to amp8220Tonightamp8221 after 22 years of its longtime bandleader Doc Severinsen who sat in for the night with The Roots It is Fallon and his teamamp8217s unending respect for the full history of amp8220Tonightamp8221 that continues to impress me more than anything else That was evident right from Fallonamp8217s very first show when onetime permanent guest host Joan Rivers who was famously banned from amp8220Tonightamp8221 by Johnny Carson and never invited back by his successor Jay Leno was included among the cavalcade of celebrities who welcomed Fallon and the show back to New York City Fallon later had Rivers on as a guest amp8211 her first extended appearance on amp8220Tonightamp8221 since the Eighties Fallon also hosted Barbra Streisandamp8217s first amp8220Tonightamp8221 show appearance in 50 years Apparently she never appeared on it during its fourdecade run in LA Even Leno stopped by to be interviewed by Fallon keeping it all in the familyBut it was Wednesday nightamp8217s show that really sealed the deal It should have been enough for Fallon to welcome as guests Carl Reiner Vin Diesel Kobe Bryant Jennifer Hudson and Iggy Azalea amp8211 but he trumped himself with an extended sketch early in the hour in which he revealed that he went to fictional Bayside High the school setting for the cheesy Saturday morning classic amp8220Saved By the Bellamp8221 Seconds later he was on the old amp8220Savedamp8221 set mixing it up with five of the stars of the show recreating their characters MarkPaul Gosselaar as Zack Mario Lopez as Slater Elizabeth Berkley as Jessie TiffaniAmber Thiessen as Kelly and Dennis Haskins as Principal Belding pictured above There were all kinds of jokes about Jimmy wanting to move to New York City work on amp8220Saturday Night Liveamp8221 and one day host a talk show and the unlikelihood of Jessie becoming a stripperI appreciate the great work that David Letterman has done in late night since the early Nineties and it has not escaped me that Jimmy Kimmel has upped his game and made his YouTube channel as dynamic as Fallonamp8217s But there is something about the particular blend of current popular culture joyful nostalgia and respect for that which has come before amp8211 filtered through Fallonamp8217s almost manic fanboy enthusiasm for everything about entertainment including sports amp8211 that has transformed amp8220Tonightamp8221 into something extraordinaryOnce upon a time this new amp8220Tonightamp8221 would have been one of those all too rare shows that people were advised to follow obsessively lest they miss something great Thereamp8217s no fear of missing much of anything in the digital age but there is still something to be said for seeing whatever Fallon and his team have put together at the earliest possible moment rather than waiting to play catch up the following day It is the very essence of MustSee TVEd Martin is the Editor of Planet Ed and MediaBizBloggers and the television and video critic for MyersBizNet Follow him on Twitter at PlanetEdCheck us out on Facebook at MediaBizBloggerscomFollow our Twitter updates at MediaBizBloggerThe opinions and points of view expressed in this commentary are exclusively the views of the author and do not necessarily represent the views of MediaBizBloggerscom management or associated bloggers MediaBizBloggers is an open thought leadership platform and readers may share their comments and opinions in response to all commentaries

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“The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon” Remains at the Top of the Must-See TV List – Ed Martin

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“The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon” Remains at the Top of the Must-See TV List – Ed Martin

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