Jimmy Fallon briefly streams ‘Tonight Show’ opening experience online

Is “The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon” starting to dive into the live-streaming world like never before? It may be a little early to say that, but we can at the very least tell you that the NBC institution did something a little bit different earlier today and gave all viewers a chance to see what the opening of one of these shows is really like during a taping.

For a brief period of time earlier on Facebook, lucky viewers had a chance to check out precisely how the audience prepares for the show, leading up to the arrival of announcer Steve Higgins and then ultimately Fallon himself to the show. You got the monologue, but at the same time some pre-taping banter from the crowd that was somewhat fascinating.

While we’re pretty darn sure that “The Tonight Show” was not altogether short on getting people to turn up for taping, maybe this was a further way for people to get excited about attending one at some point? They’re high-energy, and especially fun for someone who’s from out of town or has very little exposure to this sort of thing. They’re probably a little less fun for folks out there who are already somewhat cynical about late-night TV or some of the rules that come with attending a taping.

If nothing else, at the very least we’d love to see Fallon experiment more with live streams, whether it be with the guest green room, with the writing process, or with what The Roots does to prepare for a show. Access is always good, and their rival over at “The Late Show” has already come up with several fun ways to utilize streaming in the past.

Of course, we’ll have even more updates on “The Tonight Show” and everything else within the late-night world soon. Be on the lookout! (Photo: NBC.)