Jimmy Fallon will deliver his “Tonight Show” monologues from a state-of-the-art studio, complete with a balcony, that will fit a larger audience than Jay Leno’s.
Within weeks, construction crews at NBC’s 30 Rock will begin gutting a studio on the sixth floor of the building for the show’s return to the Big Apple, sources said.
Workers will punch through the ceiling and access the floor above to make room for a balcony — giving it the open-air atmosphere of a Broadway theater.
Fallon’s new digs will have 50 more seats than Leno’s current 300-seat setup in Burbank, Calif., sources said.
To make room for the Fallon command center, NBC will bounce “The Dr. Oz Show” from its rented sixth-floor studio and combine it with the seventh-floor former home of the employee commissary.
Construction isn’t expected to start until the summer, sources said.
Rival David Letterman hosts his “Late Show” on CBS from Broadway’s Ed Sullivan Theater, which seats about 450 people.
NBC’s plans were set after officials confirmed on Wednesday that Fallon, 38, would replace Leno, 62, next year.
The current “Tonight Show” host’s hefty contract expires in September 2014, but a source said he agreed to leave early — likely after the Winter Olympics — after he was assured he would be paid “every last dime.”
While the announcement made great fodder for late-night monologues, it gave Leno his best Wednesday night in weeks.
TV-ratings service Nielsen said Leno’s numbers were up 12 percent from his highest mark last month and up a strong 29 percent among all-important viewers ages 18 to 49.
As for Fallon’s “Late Night” gig, Seth Meyers of “Saturday Night Live” is the favorite to take over, insiders said.
Despite all the NBC late-night love, sources said it is Letterman who might get the last laugh.
Sources said there is no move to push Letterman out.
After long talks, CBS is likely to re-sign him next year when his contract expires, according to sources close to Letterman and the network.
There’s also no heir in line for Letterman. “Daily Show” host Jon Stewart has been previously mentioned for the spot, but sources said he’s no longer interested.
“Five years ago, sure. But there’s nothing to jump for now,” a source said.