The premiere of The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon showed some pop (and lock) in the wake of so much pomp and circumstance, scoring 11.3 million total viewers and a 3.8 demo rating laaate on Monday night.
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That total audience represents The Tonight Show‘s second-largest draw since May 29, 2009 (aka Jay Leno’s first send-off, which did 11.9 mil), trailing only The Chin’s second see-ya this Feb. 6 (which drew 14.6 mil, also leading out of Olympics coverage).
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The demo rating, meanwhile, matches both Leno’s recent arrivederci and Conan O’Brien’s own debut as Tonight Show host, making it the highest-rated Tonight Show since Conan’s Jan. 2010 send-off (which notched a 4.4).
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Versus Fallon’s Late Night finale, the audience and demo surged some 70 percent. TVLine readers gave the premiere an average grade of “B+.”
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