One of the more noteworthy things about the long run-up to the premiere of Late Night With Jimmy Fallon was how eager the host and everyone associated with the show was to come across as plugged in to the various ways people are accessing information these days. The show had a presence on 18 different social networking sites and used the webisodes it produced in the weeks leading to Monday's premiere as not merely practice, but as a signal that this was going to be a different kind of talk show.

For those too young to remember when Late Night premiered in 1982, television increasingly means much more than simply what you watch on a box in your living room. But most of those currently at the network executive level don't really feel this in their bones. Many a series has promised interactivity and then not really known how to deliver, and an online presence beyond a rudimentary Web site is still a rarity, especially when it comes to talk shows.

But the first week of Fallon's new ventures indicates that his Late Night might be the exception. The host has worked references to his show's online existence and to online culture in general into every hour so far. Perhaps this is only a gimmick, but so far Fallon is doing a good job of selling it as natural. He has referred to "the blogs" discussing the rowdiness of his audience and accepted audience questions for Cameron Diaz via Twitter. In a modern update of Johnny Carson's "The Edge of Wetness" bit, silly Facebook frames with silly status updates were attached to unsuspecting audience members (which provided the opportunity for a cameo from New York mayor Michael Bloomberg, a must-have for any Big Apple-based show).

The site for Late Night contains some typical talk show elements such as episode replays, but also provides some behind-the-scenes footage of the show as well as random videos from around the Web, not unlike the site for Best Week Ever. And naturally, one can follow Fallon's Twitter feed ("I was a bit nervous," he tweeted after Monday's premiere).

What of the more traditional talk show attributes? Monologues have tended to be a bit of an afterthought on Late Night over the years, and so far it appears Fallon is following in those footsteps. While he has more stand-up experience than many realize, he often comes across as so rushed in his delivery that he trips over his punch line. A problem he has that will only be solved by the passage of time is that his commentary on the events of the day does not come across as authoritative, and with competition late at night from Jay Leno, David Letterman, Stephen Colbert, and Jon Stewart, Fallon will have to up his game in a hurry. The Late Night home base is the current epicenter of American economic collapse, and a good comic ought to be able to mine some choice black humor from the day's news. Thus far, the Fallon monologues are not up to par in that department.

Guests thus far have been the usual Late Night mix of people with something to promote (Donald Trump, Watchmen star Billy Crudup) and musical guests of the sort one won't usually see on Leno (Clap Your Hands Say Yeah, Santigold). Fallon has also relied heavily in the first week on people with whom he has a previous working relationship, such as Tina Fey, former SNL guest host Justin Timberlake, and Fever Pitch co-star Drew Barrymore. While he seemed deferential to Fey, no doubt a reflex from their time together on Saturday Night Live, his chats with Diaz, Trump, and Serena Williams came across much better. Fallon has charm as an interviewer but has to watch his tendency to lose his train of thought.

Fallon knows that his house band, The Roots, are by far his best asset for holding off the media wolves, as they have a critical cachet he never will have himself. The band has, needless to say, been terrific, playing behind Ludacris and accompanying a karaoke singer on Bon Jovi's "Wanted Dead or Alive." Whether anyone in the band can develop into a full-fledged comic foil along the lines of Max Weinberg is questionable -- one can see the discomfort on both sides whenever Fallon tries to use a Root in a gag. But this is the sort of chemistry that comes only with time. Meanwhile, the chance to be accompanied by The Roots could be a critical edge in the booking wars.

Audience participation bits and assorted non-interview elements so far have been very hit-or-miss. Reaction to the premiere night's "Lick It For Ten" stunt was almost entirely negative, but a much better idea was a beer pong game with Serena Williams, who acquitted herself very well despite being a novice. This is the kind of interlude that can both create buzz and help set the show apart (Craig Ferguson isn't going to be playing beer pong anytime soon).

Fallon became visibly more comfortable as the week went on, perhaps relieved that critics, who have been known to strangle talk shows in their crib, were mostly willing to wait and see how things developed, despite the affection most of them had for Conan O'Brien. If he ends up failing it won't be for lack of energy, but there is still the challenge of building interest in what is, in the end, just another talk show. Perhaps Late Night and its tech-savvy writers will in time become infused with some of the anything-goes spirit of the Web, and Fallon can begin putting his own claim on this venerable piece of NBC real estate.

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