Jimmy Fallon’s version of ‘The Tonight Show’ has a new name

When Jimmy Fallon takes over “The Tonight Show” in the wake of Jay Leno’s exit early next year, he’s going to be doing so with more than just a new attitude: He’ll also be doing so with a different sort of name attached to the show.

Ever since Jay Leno first took over, the late-night staple has always been “The Tonight Show with Jay Leno.” It was this way during Conan O’Brien’s brief stint hosting the show, and it is now back to being that way again. So what’s the change now? It’s simple: Replace the “with” with a “starring.” Fallon’s show will be called “The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon.” This is a change back to the earlier days of the show, when it was “The Tonight Show Starring Johnny Carson.” It’s  a clear play back to the days of early television, an era in which Jimmy surely appreciates.

As for whether or not this will change anything else about the show, the answer is “not really.” The only major change that comes with this is simply that there’s a different man in charge, and he will be sure to host the show in a way that only he can. This means to expect more in the way of sketches, and probably also less when it comes to long-winded monologues, planned-out interviews, or “Jaywalking” segments. We don’t know how well Fallon will resonate yet with wide audiences, but he should be a reasonably-popular choice.

What do you think about the change in name, or do you really even make anything of it at all? If you want to also check out some recent highlights from Fallon’s show, all you have to do is click here.

Photo: NBC