Talk show populism

In my last post I alluded to my propensity to stick with things that are serial in nature once I start them, even if those things are of poor quality. I have at least one current example: Late Night With Jimmy Fallon. It's not a traditional serial--you can watch any episode without having seen the previous one and it doesn't matter--but it is a "series," and the fact that I've been watching since the very first episode helps it fit into this category.

The show is not that great. I hate how Jimmy calls everyone "pal," and how he says he "loves [blank] so much" where [blank] is every single guest and every single project his guests are involved in. As I feared before he took over Conan's gig, he's a terrible interviewer, talking too fast and interrupting his guests to tell a story about himself. There's also a ridiculous amount of product placement, and I don't care for the frequent segments aimed at the young, hip demographic (understandable because I'm older and much less hip than said desired demographic).

All that being said...the host and show have improved immensely since the first few weeks. The monologues are getting better, the games and comedy bits are funny more often, and occasionally the guests interviews click (usually when Jimmy is talking to one of his former SNL castmates). But often, when I'm watching, I still feel like I'm wasting my time, and only watching because it's become a habit.

However, all of the frustrating and cringe-worthy moments paid off a few weeks ago, when Fallon pulled off a bit of comedic genius (with a big assist from one of our old friends). Check it out.

Pretty great, no? There must be a fountain of youth in The Max. Zack looks exactly the same. And you'd better believe I'll watch any future Saved By The Bell reunion.

Mr. Fallon seems to have gone to great lengths to make his version of Late Night different than Conan O'Brien's (a wise move, since Conan is much funnier, and at least at this point is a much better overall host). But this grass roots pop culture nostalgia is ripped right out of Conan's playbook.

In high school I watched Conan almost every night, at least the monologue and first segment or two (hoping for a Pimpbot 5000 appearance). In the summer of '97, Conan embarked on a hilarious campaign to get Dirty Dancing rereleased in theaters for its tenth anniversary. Unfortunately, I can't find any video of his nightly petitions, or what happened when his crusade worked, but this is a pretty good summary.

It was so funny, the way Conan turned his back on the late, great Jerry Orbach, Ferris Bueller's sister, and the rest of the cast. Something tells me Jimmy Fallon isn't setting the Bayside gang up for embarrassment--at least not any additional embarrassment beyond that which would come naturally from being seen with Dustin Diamond--but if he is, I will take back every negative thing I've said about the new Late Night host.