I remember when David Letterman, Conan O’Brien, and Jimmy Kimmel first started their late night shows (Yeah, I’m that old). They were all green as Irish Spring and visibly nervous. Conan even played off his shakiness in his first opening, with an animated carrot-topped Fido Dido-like caricature poking his head through the curtains, sweating and nervously adjusting his tie. Kimmel, of course, started out not with a bang, but a heave — for the first broadcast, they served beer to the studio audience and at least one member did more upchucking than chuckling.

All three of them had one thing over Fallon, though: They showed a propensity to be funny. Fallon’s monologues and skits are the lamest on a broadcast network since the multimillion-dollar mistake known as The Chevy Chase Show.