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Late Night with Jimmy Fallon

(Rated TV-14, Comedy, Starring Jimmy Fallon, Where to watch: NBC, Online)

  • Is it age appropriate?

    About our ratings

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    Not age appropriate for kids under 14, age appropriate for kids over 16; suggested age 14.

  • Is it any good?

    3.0

  • Common Sense says

    Sometimes-racy show has younger feel than other chat fests.

Why We Rated This iffy for Ages 14–16

The good stuff

  • Role models:

    Fallon doesn't miss opportunities to make snarky, snide jokes, but he also often seems like an everyday guy suddenly thrust into the spotlight who's shocked by his good fortune to suddenly be sitting next to the entertainment industry’s biggest stars.
 

What to watch out for

  • Messages:

    Like most late-night shows, the series doesn't shy away from mocking celebrities and other prominent people, especially when they do something embarrassing. That said, the show also has a "celebrities are people too" fibe, and Fallon can seem more star-struck than his fellow late-night hosts, which eases the snark factor a bit.

  • Violence:

    A few comic pratfalls here and there.

  • Sex:

    Plenty of racy jokes and humorous anecdotes about sex. Some aren't that subtle.

  • Language:

    Some words are bleeped. Unbleeped words include usual suspects like "damn" and "hell."

  • Consumerism:

    The stars who appear on the show usually have a project to promote, especially TV shows and movies.

  • Drinking, drugs, & smoking:

    Some of the jokes and stories center on drinking and taking drugs, and the attitude of the host and his guests seems to encourage getting wasted.
 

What Parents Need to Know

About Late Night with Jimmy Fallon

Parents need to know that the later a late-night show airs, the racier it gets, and generally the younger the target audience. That’s not to say this one is aimed at kids, because it’s not ... but plenty of teens are watching, either during broadcast or when clips are posted online (more than many other late-night hosts, Fallon has embraced the Web). Expect plenty of jokes and anecdotes centered on sex, drugs, and liquor -- topics that will certainly appeal to college students, twenty-somethings, and, yes, high schoolers as well. Note: Most teens who watch late-night shows like this check them out on a "time-shift" basis via DVR or the aforementioned online clips, rather than at the original 11:30 p.m.-or-later air time -- which is better for their sleep habits!

Did this review help you decide?

Families Can Talk About

  • Families can talk about the topics that Fallon discusses during his monologues and with his guests. Do you think his talking points come up spontaneously, or are they mostly scripted? Is there an agenda behind his guests’ visits, such as promoting a movie or TV show?
  • How do you think late-night shows decide which guests should appear? Can you detect any kind of hierarchy in which hosts can land the biggest names? Do you see any patterns in when people appear?
  • How do late-night talk shows influcence other areas of the media?
Tools and tips that can help

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