The show opens with Fallon's topical monologue, then transitions into comedic sketches/games, concluding with guest interviews and a musical performance or stand-up comedy.

Following Carson's 1992 retirement, "vast quantities of brainpower, money, and column inches were devoted to the issue of who was truly best suited to carry the franchise forward.

A pair of conflicts ensued over Leno's 22-year tenure, both revolving around the then-current hosts of Late Night, the program directly following Tonight since its premiere in 1982.

Original Late Night host David Letterman was considered Carson's top choice as successor and left the network acrimoniously in 1993 after Leno was given the job.

Years later, NBC attempted to transit Letterman's Late Night successor, Conan O'Brien to in turn succeed Leno as host of Tonight in 2009.

However, as a result of various contractual obligations and fears of losing performers to other networks, Leno was given a nightly prime-time show shortly after Conan's run began.

on ABC, who moved to the 11:35 slot months prior; NBC feared that by waiting too long to promote Fallon, Kimmel could create a stranglehold on young demographics, which is key to the financial success of the franchise.

[10] Fallon had reportedly impressed top executives at Comcast (which had recently completed a full takeover of NBCUniversal), and his succession was widely expected throughout the company.

At Leno's suggestion, the date was moved forward from the end of his contract in September 2014, to February so as to use NBC's coverage of the 2014 Winter Olympics as a springboard for Fallon's tenure.

The most popular of these, "Lip Sync Battle", was spun off into its own show that premiered on Spike (later re-branded as Paramount Network) after being passed on by NBC, who did not realize its potential as showcased by Emma Stone's rendition of DJ Khaled's "All I Do Is Win".

[29] NBC spent approximately $5 million renovating Studio 6B, where Fallon had been taping Late Night, for The Tonight Show's return to New York City.

"[41][42][43] The show's opening sequence, directed by filmmaker Spike Lee,[28][44] features Fallon visiting various New York City landmarks, including Grand Central Terminal and Katz's Delicatessen.

[45] Just before Higgins introduces Fallon, the camera cuts to a shot of Studio 6B, focused on The Roots, consisting of drummer and bandleader Questlove, rapper and lead vocalist Tariq "Black Thought" Trotter, percussionist Frank Knuckles (later Stro Elliot), guitarist and vocalist Captain Kirk Douglas, bassist Mark Kelley, keyboardists Kamal Gray and James Poyser, sousaphonist Damon "Tuba Gooding Jr." Bryson, saxophonist Ian Hendrickson-Smith, and trumpeter Dave Guy.

Often during the monologue, Higgins, Questlove, and/or Black Thought join the conversation, responding as the straight men to Fallon's comedic take on current events.

On March 20, 2019, the title sequence was dropped and replaced by an abbreviated version of the introduction, which begins with a shot of the curtain and Higgins introducing Fallon with "Welcome to The Tonight Show!

In an exclusive interview with Variety, Fallon stated that the change was inspired by Netflix's "skip intro" feature, which allows viewers to bypass television shows' opening sequences on its streaming platform.

Following the monologue, the main segments are a mix of interviews and performances—examples of the latter include musical impressions, lip-syncing contests, games of Pictionary and egg Russian roulette.

[52][53][54] While the vast majority of episodes are produced at the show's New York home base, Fallon's Tonight Show has gone on the road to produce episodes remotely in its first year, spending four nights at Universal Orlando in Florida in June 2014 to promote the new Diagon Alley expansion of The Wizarding World of Harry Potter at Universal Studios Florida.

[63] The episode also included a segment where Fallon and Tariq Trotter took on the second-longest zip-line in the world[64] and a tour and food tasting nearby Piñones State Forest with Chef José Andrés.

[77] Fallon noted that the first week's audience was 58 people and jokingly compared the experience to performing a sold-out Madison Square Garden after a year without crowds.

[78] In the show's debut episode, Fallon introduced his supporting stars and gave a brief history of his life and career, following it up with a sketch, "The Evolution of Hip-Hop Dancing", with actor Will Smith and a musical performance by U2 at the Top of the Rock.

[82] The show's most widely circulated interview segment was one aired in January 2015 with actress Nicole Kidman, who jokingly revealed that she once had a crush on Fallon, to which, at the time, he was oblivious.

[101] The New York Times's Alessandra Stanley referred to the show's premiere as "more sweet than sassy", calling Fallon "the grateful heir, the eager freshman, the class clown with top grades and a good heart, someone older viewers can embrace without fear of being mocked or overlooked.

[81] Andrés du Bouchet, a writer for Conan, a fellow late-night show, criticized Fallon for creating what he dubbed "Prom King Comedy"—eschewing odder, more clever material for an over-reliance on games and celebrity cameos.

[110] Following its premiere, Fallon consistently won its time slot in ratings, routinely beating Late Show with David Letterman and Jimmy Kimmel Live!.

[104] The series' post-Super Bowl episode in 2015 averaged 9.8 million viewers, and the following week's shows from Los Angeles maintained their highest ratings since their premiere.

[121] Fallon's ratings fall has been ascribed to his pursuit of "broad appeal rather than political criticism" on divisive issues,[122] especially in an era of increased national polarization.

[131] Much like Fallon's preceding tenure on Late Night, many clips of the show have been made available on YouTube, Facebook, and other services shortly after its television broadcast.

[157] Currently, the show is aired in Germany on CNBC via Vodafone Deutschland cable TV and Astra Satellite Monday to Friday with repeats on Saturday and Sunday.

[citation needed] In Italy, the show aired Monday through Friday at 10:45 pm CET on pay television network FOX the next day from the original NBC broadcast.