Jimmy Fallon’s anniversary special pays tribute to The Larry Sanders Show

Check out all the highlights of Jimmy Fallon’s special episode in honor of his fifth anniversary as host of The Tonight Show.

Typically when you’re being celebrated for a major milestone or anniversary, everything is about you. Hosting The Tonight Show for five years certainly qualifies as an occasion to make things all about Jimmy Fallon. But the late night host decided to do something much different on a special episode of The Tonight Show.

There is no underselling the influence that Garry Shandling had on comedy prior to his death in 2016 and to this day. One of his biggest contributions was The Larry Sanders Show, a show about behind-the-scenes of a fictional late night talk show. Shandling’s HBO series has clearly influenced shows like 30 Rock, Curb Your Enthusiasm, and The Showbiz Show.

Shandling was also beloved by comedians. Judd Apatow produced a tremendous documentary The Zen Diaries of Garry Shandling that in part showcases this fact. Jimmy Fallon is one of those who has been influenced by Shandling. To prove it, he modeled last night’s The Tonight Show  after The Larry Sanders Show to celebrate not only his five year run as host but Shandling as well.

Fallon and the rest of the Tonight Show did a nice job catching the tone of The Larry Sanders Show. It certainly helps to have professionals like Ben Stiller and Tina Fey helping out. Stiller especially seems to have mastered playing an exaggerated and fictionalized version of himself, having done it in the past for Conan O’Brien.

And of course everyone knows how talented Tina Fey is as a comedian. Last Night On told you to keep an eye out for her appearance on The Tonight Show. We just didn’t know it was going to be this good.

Just like Stiller, Fey plays up the idea that maybe these celebrities aren’t exactly how we think they are when we see them on television. Even more impressive was that Fey was still able to plug Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt and Wine Country during a mock appearance.

Yes, it makes sense that Stiller and Fey could hold their own in an homage to Garry Shandling. But the one guest who stole the show may have been Robert Irwin. The 15 year old son of the late Crocodile Hunter, Steve Irwin, was very comfortable playing an annoyed version of himself.

In true Irwin fashion, even the cat got away from him at the end of the bit. It is similar to his last real appearance on The Tonight Show during which his animals explored the set a bit too much. But Irwin showed he really is a natural on camera whether it is while showing off exotic animals or going head to head in a comedy scene with Jimmy Fallon.

Congratulations to Jimmy Fallon, Steve Higgins, the Roots, and the entire writing staff and crew of The Tonight Show. They’ve already made an incredible mark on late night in just five years. Even more credit goes to them for sharing the spotlight with Garry Shandling. Fallon and company remain class acts!