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Late Night At NBC Upfronts: Jay Leno To “Pass The Baton” To Jimmy Fallon During Winter Olympics; Seth Meyers To Start Feb. 24

By NIKKI FINKE, Editor in Chief | Monday May 13, 2013 @ 10:39am PDTTags: Jay Leno, Jimmy Fallon, NBC Late Night, Seth Meyers, SNL, Tonight Show

BREAKING…NBC‘s Upfront presentation today officially announced that Jay Leno will end his 22-year run on The Tonight Show during the week leading up to the 2014 Winter Olympics which start February 6th. And that Jimmy Fallon will be introduced during the second week of the Sochi games when ratings are at their highest. NBC Entertainment chairman Bob Greenblatt said Fallon will settle into his 11:30 PM Tonight Show slot on Monday, February 24th, followed by the debut of Late Night With Seth Meyers at 12:30 AM.

Related: Live-Blog: NBC’s Upfront Presentation

NBC Broadcasting chief Ted Harbert kicked off the upfront by explaining the changeover with this understated description: “Things are shifting and changing in late-night.” But if any of the media buyers or advertisers in the audience thought NBC was going to candidly say why they’re taking off the network’s #1 Tonight Show host for two decades, they got a joke instead. Promising a “slight change” in late night, Greenblatt deadpanned, “I’m stepping down in 2014 and Jay Leno will be taking my job.” Later, Greenblatt offered as explanation only the ”increasingly competitive” late night landscape and that the network wanted to “pass the baton while still No. 1…” Then he launched into praise for the guy he’s replacing. ”We owe a great debt of gratitude to Jay Leno and extend Jay our sincerest thanks for an unparalleled run.” Stressing how Leno “always has been a gentleman”, Greenblatt added, “He took great care of the franchise and for that we’ll always be grateful.”

Related: Jay Leno Tops Ratings In First Week Of Sweep

Neither Leno nor  Fallon were in the upfront audience. Instead there was a taped ‘Special Message from Jimmy and Jay’ telling advertisers to “get ready for the biggest season in late night yet: the final season with Jay Leno” and introducing Fallon. “Hey guys, I’m so thrilled and honored to be taking over The Tonight Show from Jay Leno. Any questions, send me an email at robert.greenblatt@nbcuni.com. I don’t want to make a big deal about the whole Tonight Show thing. It’s still 8 months away.”

With that, Fallon put on a headset and began to sing a sequel to the West Side Story song he and Leno warbled recently – this time, a Les Miserables tune with parody lyrics that included:
Fallon: He’s really going to leave this time.
Leno: I pass the torch to my friend Jimmy. But NBC will be just fine. Who knows, they might beat Univision.
Fallon: Robert Greenblatt makes good decisions.
Leno: What about Ready For Love [a reality flop that aired for 2 seconds]? I’ll spend all day in my garage.

Meanwhile, Meyers was in the NBC upfront audience, obviously unaware he’d be shown on camera live and looking awkward. “That was one of our better choreographed cast cutaways,” Greenblatt deadpanned, calling Meyers “one of the brightest, funniest, and most original voices of his generation” and emphasizing that Late Night would continue “under the watchful eye of Lorne Michaels”. Unscripted and late night czar Paul Telegdy stressed how “very important” late night is to NBC and hyped Michaels by praising his Saturday Night Live “legacy which shows no signs of flagging and remains relevant, topical and cutting edge.”

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Jay Leno Has Best Wednesday Night In 9 Weeks After Retirement Announcement; Jimmy Fallon Up Too

By DOMINIC PATTEN | Thursday April 4, 2013 @ 10:36am PDTTags: Jay Leno, Jimmy Fallon, The Tonight Show, TV Ratings

Jay Leno might be leaving The Tonight Show, but he can still really pull a crowd. And with all the attention NBC’s late-night shifts received Wednesday, that is exactly what he did. On the day his replacement Jimmy Fallon was made official, Leno had his best Wednesday since January 20. The Tonight Show got a 2.9/7 in the 56 metered markets households last night, according to Nielsen. He also drew a 0.9/4 in the 25 markets with Local People Meters. That’s up 12% from March 27’s Tonight Show in metered market households and a strong 29% in adults 18-49 in Local People Meters. That matches Leno’s best Wednesday result of the year so far, tied with January 2.

Related:
Jay Leno & Jimmy Fallon Play Nice In Tonight’s Monologues
In Letterman-Leno Rivalry, Dave Gets Last Laugh

Like Leno, Fallon addressed his move to the Tonight Show on his show last night. His show saw a bump too. Read More »

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In Letterman- Leno Rivalry, Dave Gets Last Laugh

By NELLIE ANDREEVA | Wednesday April 3, 2013 @ 8:16pm PDTTags: David Letterman, Jay Leno, Jimmy Fallon, Jimmy Kimmel, The Tonight Show
Nellie Andreeva

Two decades after the Jay Leno-David Letterman battle for The Tonight Show, the Tonight Show curse has struck again with yet another messy host transition. In 1992, NBC had two hot young comedians eager to replace longtime Tonight host Johnny Carson, Leno and Letterman. The network chose Leno and created a formidable late-night rival in Letterman, who defected to CBS to launch The Late Show. Leno and Letterman had been going at each other ever since, looking to outrate and outlast each other. Letterman had the upper hand in the ratings early on before Leno took the lead, holding onto it for the most of the past 17 years. The two even have been timing their contracts to end at the same time. They did it again this time, with Leno’s deal up in September 2014 and Letterman’s contract also going through late 2014.

Related: NBC Sets ‘Tonight Show’ Transition With Jimmy Fallon Taking Over In Spring 2014

NBC‘s announcement today that Leno will retire in spring (likely February) of 2014, assures that Letterman will be the last man standing in the duo’s 20-year rivalry. Having outlasted his archrival, 65-year-old Letterman too may decide to retire at the end of his deal instead of going toe-to-toe with younger new competitors, Jimmy Fallon (38) on NBC and Jimmy Kimmel (45) on ABC. The key thing is that it will likely be his decision to make. Letterman has largely been given carte blanche to do the show for as long as he wants to. (Though in his recent interview with Oprah, Letterman claimed he has an agreement with CBS topper Les Moonves that Moonves has to tell him when it is time to go.) Read More »

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UPDATE: Jay Leno & Jimmy Fallon Play Nice In Tonight’s Monologues: Video

By THE DEADLINE TEAM | Wednesday April 3, 2013 @ 6:35pm PDTTags: Jay Leno, Jimmy Fallon, NBC, The Tonight Show

UPDATE, 6:33 PM: Jay Leno admitted tonight to the Tonight Show studio audience that he had a “really awkward day.” During today’s taping, the now officially departing late night host addressed NBC’s announcement that Late Night host Jimmy Fallon would be taking over the Tonight Show next year. … Read More »

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David Letterman Slams NBC & Jokes About Jay Leno’s ‘Tonight Show’ Departure: Video

By DOMINIC PATTEN | Wednesday April 3, 2013 @ 3:44pm PDTTags: David Letterman, Jay Leno, Jimmy Fallon, The Tonight Show

David Letterman didn’t waste any time to take his digs at NBC and the official announcement that Jay Leno is leaving The Tonight Show next year to be replaced by Jimmy Fallon. “I got a call from my mom today, she says, ‘Well, David, I see you didn’t get the Tonight Show again,’ ” the CBS Late Show host said in his monologue to air tonight (see the preview below). “NBC, God bless ‘em, announced the official date for Jay Leno’s departure — no mention of his official date of return, however,” he added, alluding to the last time his longtime late-night rival was dumped from the Tonight Show for Conan O’Brien — only to return eight months later. Added Letterman: “It seems like we just went through this. Didn’t we just go through this? Jay Leno now is being replaced, and this is the second time this has happened. I mean, it’s crazy. He’s being replaced by a younger late-night talk show host — what could possibly go wrong? Honestly. They had pretty good luck with this in the past”.

Related: NBC Sets ‘Tonight Show’ Transition With Fallon Taking Over

As well as doing a Leno-themed Top 10 tonight, Letterman — who was passed over for the Tonight Show job in favor of Leno in 1992 and soon after departed for CBS –  had more to say. From his desk tonight: Read More »

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Mayor Michael Bloomberg Welcomes ‘Tonight Show’ To New York, Will Burbank Mayor Dave Golonski Go On Hunger Strike?

By NELLIE ANDREEVA | Wednesday April 3, 2013 @ 12:15pm PDTTags: Jay Leno, Jimmy Fallon, Michael Bloomberg, NBC, The Tonight Show With Jimmy Fallon
Nellie Andreeva

As part of its Jay Leno-Jimmy Fallon announcement today, NBC confirmed that The Tonight Show will return to New York, where the veteran late-night show originated. In addition to the symbolism of the move, it would mean a windfall for New York, which has been lobbying hard to lure Tonight back to the Big Apple 40 years after the show relocated to Burbank. The wooing including slipping a provision in the proposed NY state budget clearly written with The Tonight Show that would reimburse up to 30% of the talk show’s production costs. The efforts payed off, and today New York Mayor Michael Bloomberg issued a jubilant statement welcoming Tonight to the city. “We’re thrilled The Tonight Show is returning home to New York City, and it’s the perfect symbol of incredible comeback we’ve worked to create in our city’s film and television industry,” he said. “The Tonight Show will bring even more jobs and economic activity to our city — and we couldn’t be happier that one of New York’s own is bringing the show back to where it started — and where it belongs.”

Related: NBC Sets ‘Tonight Show’ Transition With Fallon Taking Over Read More »

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UPDATE: NBC Sets ‘Tonight Show’ Transition With Jimmy Fallon Taking Over In Spring 2014

By NELLIE ANDREEVA | Wednesday April 3, 2013 @ 10:30am PDTTags: Jay Leno, Jimmy Fallon, NBC, The Tonight Show With Jimmy Fallon
Nellie Andreeva

UPDATED WRITETHRU: After months of speculation, a slew of news stories, a ton of late-night jokes and a Jay Leno-Jimmy Fallon duet, NBC has set a date for Leno’s departure from The Tonight Show and officially anointed Fallon as the new host of the venerable late-night franchise. Leno will depart in spring 2014 after 22 years. The Tonight Show With Jimmy Fallon will be based in New York, where the show originated, and be set at the 30 Rock studio that now houses Fallon’s Late Night; the studio is undergoing renovation that is slated to be completed in 2014 in time for the Tonight Show relaunch. The Tonight Show With Jimmy Fallon will be executive produced by Lorne Michaels, marking the first time the Saturday Night Live and Late Night executive producer has been in charge of NBC’s flagship late-night show.

Related: Lorne Michaels: The Real NBC Late-Night King

The timing of the Leno-Fallon changeover mirrors the events of 2009, when Leno handed The Tonight Show to Conan O’Brien in late May. This time around, the transition will be earlier (likely in February), taking advantage of NBC’s broadcast of the Sochi Winter Olympics, something NBCUniversal CEO Steve Burke alluded to in today’s announcement (see it below). Ironically, NBC used the previous Winter Olympics in 2010 as a launching pad for Leno’s return to The Tonight Show after a nine-month hiatus. “Congratulations Jimmy,” Leno said today, keeping with the friendly relationship he and Fallon had been projecting. “I hope you’re as lucky as me and hold on to the job until you’re the old guy. If you need me, I’ll be at the garage.” Said Fallon: “I’m really excited to host a show that starts today instead of tomorrow.”

Related: Letterman Slams NBC & Jokes About Jay Leno’s Departure

Like the first time he was pushed out of The Tonight Show, Leno will likely leave while on top, as Tonight Show has consistently been ranking as the No. 1 late-night program despite NBC’s woeful primetime ratings in the first quarter. As for Late Night, Saturday Night Live’s Seth Meyers has been in discussions to replace Fallon when he moves to 11:30 PM and appears on track to succeed him. Both Fallon and Meyers honed their skills behind the anchor desk of SNL‘s Weekend Update. Michaels will remain as executive producer of SNL in addition to his exec producer duties on Tonight and will likely also stay on as exec producer of Late Night, especially if Meyers closes a deal as host.

Related: Speculation On NBC’s Jay Leno-Jimmy Fallon Transition Intensifies

Today’s announcement comes on the heels of Fallon signing a new deal with NBC. Leno’s contract with the network is up in September 2014. Here’s NBC’s release: Read More »

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Jay Leno & Jimmy Fallon Sing Duet About ‘Tonight Show’ Rumors: Video

By THE DEADLINE TEAM | Monday April 1, 2013 @ 9:44pm PDTTags: Jay Leno, Jimmy Fallon, Late Night With Jimmy Fallon, The Tonight Show

UPDATE: If this isn’t a shameless play for late-night ratings by both hosts, hard to imagine what is. Tonight NBC released this video early of Jimmy Fallon and Jay Leno addressing those rumors of who will take over as host of The Tonight Show. (Fallon seems to … Read More »

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Jimmy Fallon Leaves Manager On Eve Of New NBC Deal

By NELLIE ANDREEVA | Friday March 29, 2013 @ 12:37pm PDTTags: Eric Kranzler, Jimmy Fallon, NBC
Nellie Andreeva

Jimmy FallonEXCLUSIVE: Jimmy Fallon is negotiating a new deal with NBC that would pave the way for him to take over The Tonight Show.  But he’s doing it without his longtime manager Management 360′s Eric … Read More »

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Jay Leno’s Jabs At NBC Pay Off In The Ratings

By DOMINIC PATTEN | Thursday March 28, 2013 @ 2:36pm PDTTags: Jay Leno, Jimmy Fallon, NBC, The Tonight Show, TV Ratings

Jay Leno Ratings RiseMaybe NBC has a ratings resurgence plan that goes beyond getting The Voice back on the air? Although Jay Leno‘s ratings have been solid for a while, something seems to be stirring for … Read More »

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NY State Tax Break Seems Tailored For ‘Tonight Show’s Return To NYC

By THE DEADLINE TEAM | Thursday March 21, 2013 @ 8:38pm PDTTags: Jimmy Fallon, The Tonight Show

Ross Lincoln is a Deadline contributor.

NBC may be publicly tightlipped on the matter of The Tonight Show succession, but that hasn’t stopped New York lawmakers from stepping into the fray. In the event that Late Night host Jimmy Fallon … Read More »

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Jimmy Kimmel Weighs In On ‘Tonight Show’ Talk In CNN Interview

By DOMINIC PATTEN | Thursday March 21, 2013 @ 11:35am PDTTags: CNN, Jake Tapper, Jay Leno, Jimmy Fallon, Jimmy Kimmel

David Letterman hasn’t said anything yet about the latest rumors of the departure of his longtime rival Jay Leno from The Tonight Show and his likely replacement Jimmy Fallon. But the other late-night host, ABC’s Jimmy … Read More »

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UPDATE: Jimmy Fallon Jokes About ‘Tonight Show’ Move, While Jay Leno Ignores Rumors But Takes Another Jab At NBC

By NELLIE ANDREEVA | Thursday March 21, 2013 @ 12:45am PDTTags: Jay Leno, Jimmy Fallon, NBC, The Tonight Show
Nellie Andreeva

UPDATE, 12:45 AM: Jay Leno may not have addressed rumors that he was leaving NBC‘s The Tonight Show to be replaced by Jimmy Fallon, but the Late Night host did — sort of (check out the video below). On tonight’s show, Fallon’s first monologue remarks were about changes at NBC late-night. “Before we get started, I have to talk about the rumors that came out today which say that I’ll be moving up to 11:30, or as my parents call it, ‘Umm, still too late.’ Actually the rumors are true: NBC is turning The Tonight Show into a diving competition. So exciting,” the host said.

Related: Speculation On NBC’s Jay Leno-Jimmy Fallon Transition Intensifies Read More »

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Speculation On NBC’s Jay Leno-Jimmy Fallon Transition Intensifies As Fallon Plans To Move ‘Tonight Show’ To New York

By NELLIE ANDREEVA | Wednesday March 20, 2013 @ 2:46pm PDTTags: Big Deals TV, Jay Leno, Jimmy Fallon, Late Night With Jimmy Fallon, NBC, The Tonight Show with Jay Leno
Nellie Andreeva

Somehow, another NBC late-night transition has turned into a public drama. And this time, the two hosts involved are not even feuding. The network has found itself in a groundswell of speculation surrounding The Tonight Show host Jay Leno and Late Night‘s Jimmy Fallon. The network is staying mum on its plans, but a few things appear settled: Fallon is poised to replace Leno on The Tonight Show. When he does, he is not expected to copy his predecessor Conan O’Brien’s cross-country move from New York to Los Angeles. I hear Fallon and his producers had been lobbying for staying put in New York. Fallon’s current studio is being renovated, which sources say was part of a planned refurbishing of 30 Rock, and it will likely house the future Tonight Show With Jimmy Fallon, marking the show’s return to the East Coast after more than four decades in Burbank. Leno’s current contract, which is up in September 2014, will likely be late-night host’s last one. In an interview with GQ, Late Night executive producer Lorne Michaels also hinted at the inevitability of Fallon’s anointment as new Tonight host. “I’m not allowed to say it — yet,” he said. “But I think there’s an inevitability to it,” He added: “He’s the closest to Carson that I’ve seen of this generation.”

With the players and the framework set, the biggest uncertainty in the transition appears to be the exact timing. There is speculation that NBC brass may have settled on an end date for Leno and that Leno and Fallon, who regularly chat on the phone, have discussed the issue in a call initiated by Fallon — though all sides are denying that there is a plan in place. For now, sources at NBC indicate that the network has no plans to announce Leno’s Tonight exit at NBC’s upfront presentation in May, though the rampant speculation may force their hand in the decision-making. An announcement of Leno’s retirement is tied with the introduction of Fallon as new Tonight host, something he has not been contracted for yet. I hear NBC has not started or is in very early stages of making Fallon’s deal for The Tonight Show. Read More »

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Watch Jimmy Fallon Open Without Audience

By NIKKI FINKE, Editor in Chief | Monday October 29, 2012 @ 7:36pm PDTTags: Hurricane Sandy, Jimmy Fallon, Late Night TV

In the hours before Hurricane Sandy, Jimmy Fallon opens the show from the deserted NYC streets, then performs his monologue for an empty audience:

Related:
Hurricane Sandy: Problems Extend Into Tuesday
‘Letterman’ EP Says Tonight’s Show “Bizarre And Beautiful”: Video

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Jimmy Fallon’s Company Sells Two Comedy Projects To NBC & Drama To Fox

By NELLIE ANDREEVA | Tuesday September 4, 2012 @ 4:05pm PDTTags: Big Deals TV, Jimmy Fallon
Nellie Andreeva

EXCLUSIVE: On the heels of landing its first series order in May with comedy Guys With Kids, Jimmy Fallon’s Universal TV-based company Holiday Road has set up three projects for next season: single-camera comedy Slammed and untitled multi-camera Hipster project at NBC and hour-long drama Bad Seeds at Fox. Fallon will serve as an executive producer on all three, along with producing partner Amy Ozols.

Slammed is penned by APA-repped Jon Rineman, senior monologue writer for NBC’s Late Night With Jimmy Fallon. It is a workplace comedy set in the world of professional wrestling. Read More »

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Jimmy Fallon Says He’s Not Hosting Oscars

By NIKKI FINKE, Editor in Chief | Wednesday August 8, 2012 @ 9:47am PDTTags: Academy of Motion Picture Arts & Sciences, Jimmy Fallon

Deadline readers already know that Jimmy Fallon won’t be hosting the 2013 Academy Awards. (I reported on August 2nd that outgoing Academy President Tom Sherak tried and failed to hire him and producer Lorne Michaels nearly 3 weeks ago.) Today Fallon made it official, telling The Today Show‘s Matt Lauer: … Read More »

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No Oscars Host Or Producer Yet: Outgoing Academy President Tom Sherak Tried And Failed To Hire Jimmy Fallon, Lorne Michaels

By NIKKI FINKE, Editor in Chief | Thursday August 2, 2012 @ 4:18pm PDTTags: Academy of Motion Picture Arts & Sciences, Hawk Koch, Jimmy Fallon, Lorne Michaels

EXCLUSIVE… UPDATED WITH MORE DETAILS:   Tom Sherak now will go down in Oscars history as giving new definition to the word chutzpah. The outgoing president of the Academy Of Motion Picture Arts & Sciences tried to pull a fast one on the incoming president Hawk Koch who was just voted in Tuesday night. Choosing the producer and host of the Oscars is probably the most important job of the AMPAS president. Yet Sherak, despite knowing he himself was a lame duck, nevertheless broke protocol and tried to hire the 85th Academy Awards hosts for the February 24th, 2013, telecast which should be Koch’s responsibility. Sherak solicited TV and film producer Lorne Michaels and NBC Late Night host Jimmy Fallon. The choices were understandable because Fallon had done a good job hosting the Emmys in 2010, while Michaels is the longtime executive producer of Saturday Night Live. On the other hand, the recent trend has been away from a TV host like Fallon and instead towards bonafide movie stars. Deadline learned that Sherak went to the Academy’s Board Of Governors on his own initiative and said, “If I can find a producer, would you be interested?” The Board said yes.

But insiders tell me they felt Sherak’s request was blatantly inappropriate. Hawk Koch, who still didn’t know if he’d be voted in as AMPAS president, was 1st VP and openly expressed reservations. Koch told colleagues Sherak shouldn’t be doing this with a mere matter of weeks before the elections and complained to Sherak about it. The two men agreed with the Academy’s COO Ric Robertson to set a deadline for locking in a producer on the Wednesday before the AMPAS president and officers elections the very next Tuesday.

Immediately, Disney/ABC which airs the Oscars objected to Sherak’s choices because Fallon competes with Jimmy Kimmel’s show and is the soon-to-be-successor to Jay Leno’s The Tonight Show. “When the idea came up of Fallon, we made it clear that we were not happy about that. It was ridiculous to think we would want to give him that big platform,” a Disney insider tells me. “We had no objection to Lorne.” Technically, Disney/ABC can’t tell the Academy what to do since AMPAS controls the Oscars telecast. But the objection was an obstacle to Sherak’s plans, and ”he never got the deal done”, one of my sources says. Sherak’s search was called off within 6 days of the new AMPAS president’s election when he couldn’t meet the deadline. “Now the  negotiations are dead,” I’m told. An Academy spokeswoman also is confirming that neither Fallon nor Michaels has been hired.

Related: Behind-The-Scenes Of Hawk Koch’s Academy Win
Read More »

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Jimmy Fallon On ‘Guys With Kids’: TCA

By THE DEADLINE TEAM | Tuesday July 24, 2012 @ 12:04pm PDTTags: Guys With Kids, Jimmy Fallon, NBC, TCA

Diane Haithman contributes to Deadline’s TV coverage.

Jimmy Fallon, executive producer of the new NBC comedy Guys With Kids, made an appearance via satellite on the panel for the show today at the TCAs. “I feel like I’m doing a Dateline. I feel like Lester Holt,” Fallon joked (live on the panel, executive producer Amy Ozols confirmed the New York-based Fallon also “joined casting meetings that way”). Guys With Kids TCAFallon said he and Ozols were inspired to do the show by seeing great-looking young dads out and about in New York with their Baby Bjorns, toting kids and taking an active role in parenting. They were “DILFs — if you know what a MILF is,” Fallon said. He jokingly added that the producers, when pitching the show, knew “Yeah, we probably can’t call the show DILFs. We’ll have to change that.”

As previously announced, NBC will sneak the freshman comedy after the penultimate episode of America’s Got Talent on September 12. The show is set in New York but shot in Los Angeles. Read More »

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