Jimmy Fallon says he was inspired by Netflix's "skip intro" feature in deciding to drop The Tonight Show opening credits

Variety

The decision to get rid of the Spike Lee-directed opening credits and opt for a quick intro instead is the most notable change under new Tonight Show showrunner Jim Bell, who took over last October. The change allows Fallon to better hold on to viewers from his local news lead-in. "You don’t have (the ‘skip intro’ button) on network TV,” Fallon tells Variety. “So you’re forced to watch this, every night. And you go, ‘I get it, Jimmy Fallon’s going to walk out. We get it, you’re in New York City and you’re ordering a hot dog.” He says the idea is simple: "Get to the funny, get to the comedy. (Viewers are) going to tune in at 11:35 and want to see you be funny. ‘Gimme the jokes, what’s happening in the world. Gimme the headlines."