Early on, when the then green Fallon messed up a comedy bit by "breaking" it was probably frustrating to many pure comedy lovers who take the comedy of Saturday Night Live, at it's core, very seriously. I understand how a rookie cast member, who seemingly adds nothing to the show (with a lack of real acting ability and a very short list of impressions) could be an annoyance; however, his goofy persona and young, bright energy is what made the show funny and relatable for many people of my generation. People who don't take their comedy too seriously, which happens to usually be young or immature people, love it when something goes wrong on live television, like when an actor screws up a line or breaks character. It's exciting and unexpected and when the actor begin to laugh, you can't help but laugh along side them. It's comparable to why people watch NASCAR, some enjoy the sport purely for the nature of its being while others enjoy it because they might see crash. Either way, Fallon provided this innocent, elementary comedy to the audience.
My brother, like Fallon, is one of those people who has a contagious laugh. Everyone has met somebody with this natural talent. It doesn't matter if you've know them for 19 years or 19 minutes, if they begin laughing you will follow suit. This is one form of comedy that cannot be taught to any stand up or actor. The reason people all over the nation fell in love with Jimmy Fallon as the new host of the Tonight Show, is because they can laugh along side him, whether or not the jokes he is telling are really all that funny. This does have its limits of course and Fallon knows how to play off a bad joke. Sometimes he is self depreciating other times he will throw away a cue card, being comedic all the while through his facial expressions and mannerisms.
I could go on for days why I think Jimmy Fallon is funny, but to wrap this up I'll end it by saying this: comedy is basic. I can appreciate and sometimes even love a political cartoon or a good piece of satirical humor, but Fallon knows how to include and relate to everyone on some level and the easiest way of doing that is by keeping that level basic. If something funny goes over your head, it obviously won't be funny to you; therefore, when Fallon writes a joke he writes it to where everyone will easily understand it and be able to enjoy it. A majority of people do not like to have to think in order to laugh and frankly Fallon delivers a dull joke that likely won't offend, resulting in an easy laugh for most people, which is all most people really want from a late night host. About two years ago Jimmy Fallon had the CEO of Olive Garden on Late Night and Jimmy bought the rights to the line "When You're Here, You're Family". This perfectly sums up what Fallon is aiming to do when he puts out his show. He is just trying to get people across the country to invite him into their living room for 44 minutes to share an easy, unwinding-after-a-long-day-at-work, laugh.
Fallon is a very very disarming and charming person, and this no doubt is his main attraction. I do think that the buying of the slogan is actually a very creative bit. It's both relatable, and yet smart. It would seem to suggest that comedy can be accessible without necessarily being dumbed down. Fallon at his best is definitely smart.
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