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The untitled debut episode of Late Night with Seth Meyers originally aired on February 24, 2014, with guests Amy Poehler, Vice President of the United States Joe Biden and musical guest A Great Big World.

Background and production
In April 2013, it was revealed that Jimmy Fallon would take over as host of The Tonight Show, a long-running late-night talk show on NBC, replacing Jay Leno. As Fallon was hosting Late Night, another long-running late-night talk show on the same network, it led to speculation about who would succeed him, with some pointing to sketch comedy show Saturday Night Live (SNL) head writer and its satirical news segment Weekend Update anchor Seth Meyers as a potential candidate. On May 12, it was officially announced that Meyers would be leaving SNL to take over for Fallon, which happened in February of the following year.

To prepare for his debut, Meyers consulted with other hosts for advice and conducted test shows. Despite initially stating in late 2013 that Late Night would not have a house band, Meyers later reversed the decision and announced via Twitter the following year that the band would be led by fellow SNL alumni Fred Armisen. Meyers disclosed that while he was not looking to change the existing late-night talk show format, he would like to have recurring characters and address politics and current events on his show, much like Weekend Update.

Ratings
The first episode of Late Night with Seth Meyers drew in 3.4 million viewers, with an average 1.4 rating among the key demographic of adults aged 18 to 49—the highest ratings for the franchise since 2005.

Critical response
The episode received positive-to-mixed reviews. Eric Deggans of NPR's Pop Culture Happy Hour podcast praised the first episode and its edge over previous Late Night debuts, and some critics viewed Meyers as innocuous and composed as the host. Robert Blanco of USA Today remarked that the episode was "pretty much fault-free", and David Hinckley of the New York Daily News thought the host "got the 'talk' part down cold, almost like he'd been talking all his life". Robert Lloyd, a television critic for the Los Angeles Times, wrote that Meyers's background in improvisational comedy had already made him beyond competent for the job.

Critics noted the monologue's format, describing it as similar to Weekend Update but presented standing rather than seated. While some have suggested that the monologue's delivery format should be changed to a seated position behind a desk, others believe that the similar format may have obstructed the delivery and turned off viewers. Sarene Leeds of Rolling Stone and David Wiegand of the San Francisco Chronicle found the breaks between the jokes to be overly long, while Willa Paskins of Slate thought the lengths of the jokes were too consistent and short. Kevin Fallon of The Daily Beast attributed the disappointment to high expectations, stating that while Weekend Update jokes could be piecemeal due to the rushed aspect of SNLs production, audiences may have anticipated more from a widely awaited talk show. Some segments also failed to impress some critics, with Jason Tarbys of Screen Rant criticizing them for being unoriginal and Ross Miller of The Verge describing them as forgettable. While some found the ideas behind the segments to be bright but the execution lacking, others found that the segments were too lengthy. The relevance of the Olympics-themed segments was also questioned, as the 2014 Winter Olympics had already ended. Hank Stuever of The Washington Post opined that the segments were underworked and failed to establish the show’s appeal effectively. Otherwise, critics observed that the host was adept at reflecting on the jokes and engaging with the audience, which Neil Drumming of Salon.com thought made him seem like "an eager teenager desperate to make everyone laugh together".

Reception for other parts of the episode were more positive. Some critics thought the show became more engaging when Meyers sat down and shared a personal story. They found the story to be charming and self-deprecating despite not being particularly humorous,  with Darren Frenich of Entertainment Weekly praising the host's storytelling skills. Sarah Rodman of The Boston Globe also noted that the story provided an opportunity for the audience to get to know the host better. The show's interviews were also praised, with Tim Molloy of TheWrap calling Meyers's interviewing skills his "surprise strength". Critics suggested that the host became more relaxed during it,  and Rodman noted that the conversations provided a unique perspective on the guests. Tarbys remarked that Meyers's interview with Joe Biden was not rigorous like Meet the Press nor gentle. Stuever commented that Late Night was "a far saner arena for a conversation" than The Tonight Show.