Jimmy Fallon's new NBC late-night show will debut on the Internet before it premieres on TV.

Executive producer Lorne Michaels told reporters Sunday that he plans to "do the show on the Internet (first) so we can experiment." He plans five or six months of webcasts prior to the 2009 debut of Mr. Fallon's version of "Late Night."

Mr. Michaels said his experience launching "Late Night With Conan O'Brien" taught him how hard it can be to launch a new late-night host. Premiering on the Web presumably will allow Mr. Fallon to work the kinks out before he ends up on TV.

What's more, Mr. Michaels said, the webcasts could "help define what the show looks like" by allowing Mr. Fallon to more broadly experiment with different kinds of comedy. "It will let Jimmy do stuff you don't normally find on television," Mr. Michaels said.

Mr. Michaels also said he hopes the younger audience that finds the show on the Internet will then make the move to TV with Mr. Fallon.