What to expect from a Jimmy Fallon Golden Globes: Less snark, more games — and probably thank-you notes too

Having watched him host the 2010 Emmys, the 2005 MTV Movie Awards and anchor hundreds of hours of his own late-night talk shows, we can be pretty sure what a Jimmy Fallon Golden Globes ceremony will look like.

There will be energetic musical numbers! Games! Thank-you notes! More games! And a bright, amiable comic tone miles removed from Ricky Gervais' snark and the pointed wit of the Tina Fey and Amy Poehler pairing, who, between them, have hosted the last seven Golden Globes shows.

Put it this way: There probably won’t be a joke about Roman Polanski calling “Spotlight” the “best date movie ever.” Or a bit about how the Golden Globe trophies make great doorstops — and sex toys.

And should NBC, which broadcasts the Globes as well as Fallon’s “Tonight Show,” again come up empty with the Hollywood Foreign Press Assn. voters, we doubt the cheerful Fallon will pour on the gasoline, as Gervais did this year, when he noted that “It’s right that NBC should host this award show. They’re the only network that’s truly fair and impartial and that’s because they’re the only network with zero nominations. So … nothing in it for ’em tonight. They don’t care, obviously.”

Oh, they care, Ricky. Announcing Fallon’s choice on Tuesday at the Television Critics Assn. press tour, NBC Entertainment Chairman Robert Greenblatt said, “Jimmy’s playful, disarming comedic brilliance makes him the ideal host to enhance and elevate the sense of fun and irreverence.”

Notably absent was any reference to the fastening of seat belts, the phrase Greenblatt used in October when he revealed that Gervais would host the 2016 show.

“Will it be satirical and biting?” Greenblatt mused on Fallon’s style. “I don’t think so. It’ll be Jimmy.”

And it’ll be Fallon using his top-rated NBC talk show to promote the NBC Golden Globes telecast in the days leading up to the Jan. 8, 2017 program. The glitzy ceremony, which brings together stars from movies and television, remains a ratings magnet even as viewership for most awards shows — including the Globes — dipped last year. (The “Hamilton” love fest that was this year’s Tonys proved an exception, hitting a 15-year high in viewership.)

The 2016 Gervais-hosted Globes telecast attracted 18.5 million viewers, down from the 19.3 million that watched the prior year’s show, run by Fey and Poehler.

This year’s ceremony found Gervais frequently riffing about the meaninglessness of awards shows in general and the Globes, specifically, implying that the gig was beneath him and, at one point, beseeching someone to put him out of his misery. (“Kill me,” he groaned.)

Gervais’ above-it-all approach runs counter to Fallon’s puppy-dog, cast-no-shade enthusiasm. It’s hard to imagine celebrities shifting nervously in their seats under the accommodating Fallon’s watch. His “Tonight Show” celebrates its guests and relies on their willingness to have fun — and, at times, poke fun at their own serious images. You want to see “Suicide Squad’s” Jared Leto snuggle with puppies? Fallon’s your guy.

Fallon’s 2010 Emmys opened with a six-minute, pre-taped sketch in which he and the cast of the then top-rated “Glee” wrangled celebrities, including Tina Fey, Jon Hamm, Joel McHale and Betty White, for a rousing, song-and-dance rendition of Bruce Springsteen’s “Born to Run.” Fallon kept his guitar handy throughout the remainder of the evening, performing brisk, funny salutes to TV shows leaving the air. His tribute to “Lost,” via the Green Day song “Good Riddance,” hit the sweet spot between spoof and homage.

Given that history, it’s not a stretch to think that Fallon will arrive at the 2017 Globes ceremony with a song in his heart. The Globes’ casual vibe — alcohol flows freely, though most image-conscious celebrities decline — leads to an often unpredictable atmosphere, particularly when contrasted to the starched, serious Oscars. The looser format provides more opportunities for hosts to create meme-worthy moments. (The gig also pays much better than the Oscars, another carrot the HFPA uses to attract potential hosts.)

"It's a really difficult room," Fey told The Times, speaking about the Academy Awards. "High levels of stress are shooting out of just about everyone there. The Golden Globes are less pressure. It's like an exhibition game for the real season."

Fallon has already suited up, posting on his Twitter account that he’s “so excited to be hosting” the Golden Globes and that he’s “really looking forward to spending time with the Hollywood Foreign Press before Donald Trump has them all deported.” Also and perhaps most tellingly: “Let's make the Globes Gold again! Plan your Globes party Jan. 8th. You could be part of the show.”

In other words: Start honing those Catchphrase skills now.

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