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Variety

NBC’s Latest ‘Tonight Show’ Tweak Takes a Cue From Netflix

May 29, 2019  •  Post A Comment

Some viewers may have noticed something different about NBC’s “Tonight Show starring Jimmy Fallon,” and Variety reports that the people behind the show got the idea from Netflix.

“The NBC late-night show quietly dropped its opening credits a few months ago, squeezing the cold open down to a quick intro from announcer Steve Higgins, a few ‘hey-hey-hey-hey’ bars from The Roots, and then straight into Fallon’s monologue,” Variety reports, adding: “The decision to drop the opener is the most notable change made so far on ‘The Tonight Show’ since former ‘Today’ executive producer Jim Bell took over as showrunner in October.”

The tweak is presumably part of an effort to hang onto viewers following the local news, but the show’s host shed some additional light on the decision.

“Fallon told Variety that the idea for excising the opener was inspired by Netflix’s ‘skip intro’ feature, which allows viewers to bypass a series episode’s opening credits and get straight into the action,” the publication reports.

The story notes that the show’s original opening sequence, which was directed by Spike Lee and featured Fallon along with various New York landmarks, had been a part of the show since it launched with Fallon in 2014.

Variety quotes Fallon saying: “You don’t have [the ‘skip intro’ button] on network TV. So you’re forced to watch this, every night. And you go, ‘I get it, Jimmy Fallon’s going to walk out. We get it, you’re in New York City and you’re ordering a hot dog.’”

2 Comments

  1. The cold opening with no opening credit cheapens the show. I watch the opening credits to see who the guest are going to be, and to decide if I want to even see the show. No opening credits just means I will be watching even less. I already know Jimmy Fallon is on the show, who else will be on the show. I may stick around to see a certain guest (if I know they are going to be on the show), I wont stick around just for Jimmy Fallon every night. .

    Also on election nights, or on nights there are a lot of news events, the show is often joined in progress on local stations. Having cold openings every night (with no opening credits), just makes the show appear to be “joined in progress” every night, even on nights the entire show airs.

  2. We like the closing credits on Fallon’s Tonight Show the best, because that means the show is over. NBC needs to fire Fallon sooner then later, if they want to save The Tonight Show. Then, move the show out of that cheezy studio (the band looks like they’re playing in a closet), spend some real money on producing the show, and get a host that is both genuine (Fallon comes across totally fake and pretentious) and genuinely funny. Steve Carrell maybe? He is hilarious and would be an awesome host, if he is open to the idea.

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