Ode to Joy (TV series)

Ode to Joy
Genre Drama
Slice-of-life
Romance
Created by Shanghai Media Group
Written by Yuan Zidan
Directed by Kong Sheng, Jian Chuanhe
Starring Liu Tao
Jiang Xin
Wang Ziwen
Yang Zi
Bridgette Qiao
Ending theme There Will Be Happiness Waiting for You (Season 1)
Us (Season 2)
Country of origin China
Original language(s) Chinese
No. of seasons 2
No. of episodes 42 (Season 1)
55 (Season 2)
Production
Producer(s) Hou Hongliang
Running time 45 minutes (approx.)
Production company(s) Shandong Television Media Group (Season 1)
Daylight Entertainment Television Ltd (Season 1-2)
Distributor Daylight Entertainment Television Ltd
Release
Original network Dragon Television
Zhejiang Television
Original release 18 April 2016 (2016-04-18) – 10 June 2017 (2017-06-10)
External links
Website

Ode to Joy (simplified Chinese: 欢乐颂; traditional Chinese: 歡樂頌) is a 2016 television series jointly produced by Shandong Television Media Group and Daylight Entertainment Television Ltd. It is based on the same title novel by A Nai. The first season of the drama aired from 18 April to 10 May 2016.

The second season of the drama aired from 11 May to 10 June 2017.[1]

Synopsis

The series is about five modern women who live on the 22nd floor of an apartment complex called "Ode to Joy" in Shanghai. Each with their unique personality and lifestyle, the five women have different backgrounds, including their age, social status, personality and careers. Their relationships were initially rocky, but eventually they became good friends and neighbours. Together, they navigate their career and love lives, solving problems and growing more resilient.

Cast

Main

ActorRoleAppearanceDescription
12
Liu TaoAndyMain31 years old; a Wall Street executive who returns to China in search of her long-lost brother. Despite her intelligence, Andy is not good at dealing with relationships and her lonely childhood and battle with a hereditary disease fills her life with worry.
Jiang XinFan ShengmeiMain30 years old; a senior HR executive at a foreign company. She is resourceful, worldly and kind-hearted. Facing constant extortion from her financially-strained family, Fan Shengmei gives great importance to money and superficial needs whilst battling her insecurities.
Wang ZiwenQu XiaoxiaoMain24 years old; daughter of a rich businessman. She is honest, sassy and fierce. Having spent her life idling away, Qu Xiaoxiao decides to start her own business to battle her half brother in inheriting their father's wealth.
Yang ZiQiu YingyingMain23 years old; a regular employee who comes to Shanghai from a small city to seek better endeavours. She is straightforward and simple, but often acts on impulse and gets into sticky situations.
Qiao XinGuan Ju'erMain22 years old; an intern at a global top 500 company who strives to catch up with her fellow peers due to her inferior education background. Coming from an academic family, she is quiet, introverted and gentle. As she enters the workplace and meets different people, Guan Ju'er starts to question her identity and aspirations.

Supporting

ActorRoleAppearanceDescription
12
Zu FengQi DianMainGuestA shrewd and capable CEO who builds his career from scratch. He is cautious and on-guard of the people around him. He is long-time online friends with Andy, and is also her first love.
Wang KaiZhao QipingMainA chief physician at a renowned hospital, known for his exemplary education background and immaculate work attitude. When he is off-work, he displays his charismatic and flirtatious nature. He has an on-and-off relationship with Qu Xiaoxiao.
Jin DongTan ZongmingGuestA legendary figure in Shanghai's business world. Andy's boss and long-time friend.
Yang ShuoBao YifanGuestMainA second generation rich heir and vice president of his family's company. Though he may seem frivolous on the outside, he is earnest and persistent, both in work and love. He later becomes Andy's boyfriend.
Zhang LuWang BaichuanMainA hardworking businessman who founded a start-up. He has had a crush on Shengmei since their university days, and when he hears that she is still single, he decides to pursue her. He is someone willing to go the extra mile for love, but Fan Shengmei's relentless demands make him feel inadequate.
Wu HaochenYing QinGuestMainA hardworking and simple man who works as an IT employee. He comes from the same hometown as Qiu Yingying, and later becomes her boyfriend. However, his traditional view towards relationships put their romance in peril.
Deng LunXie TongMainA rising musician in his early twenties. Guan Ju'er's boyfriend.

Extended

Family members

ActorRoleAppearanceDescription
12
Su ShenghuaHe YunliGuestAn Di's grandfather.
Ding YongdaiWei GuoqiangRegularAn Di's father.
Dai MeihongAn Di's motherGuest
Shi YunpengXiao MingRegularAn Di's brother.
Zhang NaihuaFan Shengmei's fatherRegular
Kang JunzhiFan Shengmei's motherRegular
Yue YangFan Shengmei's brotherRegular
Zhao QianziFan Shengmei's sister-in-lawRegular
Yang YichengLei LeiRegularFan Shengmei's nephew.
Wang YongquanQu Xiaoxiao's fatherRegular
Mu LiyanQu Xiaoxiao's motherRegular
Guo XiaoranQu LianjieRegularQu Xiaoxiao's half-brother.
Feng HuiQiu Yingying's fatherRegular
Yan JingyaoQiu Yingying's motherRegular
Tan XiheGuan Ju'er's fatherRegular
Liu MintaoGuan Ju'er's motherRegular
Zhang ChenguangBao Yifan's fatherRegular
Juan ZiBao Yifan's motherRegular
Chen JinZhao Qiping's motherRegular
Cai GangWang Baichuan's fatherRegular
Li XiaoyanWang Baichuan's motherRegular
Cao YiYing Qin's fatherRegular
Yang KunYing Qin's motherRegular

Others

ActorRoleAppearanceDescription
12
Zhang XiaoqianYao BinRegularQu Xiaoxiao's good friend. A rich boy who loves to party.
Wang WenshiLan LanRegularOne of Qu Xiaoxiao's entourage.
Hu YijingKong KongRegularOne of Qu Xiaoxiao's entourage.
Chen MuyangChief BaiGuestQiu Yingying's ex-boyfriend and colleague.
Yu WentongYan LumingGuestTan Zongming's good friend.
Wang HongLin JingRegularGuan Ju'er's senior and first love.
Liu LinXiu YuanRegularHospital director who helps take care of xiao ming.
Li KeweiLiu SimingRegularAn Di's employee. A careless and scatter-brained man who focuses more on investing in stocks than on work.
Li ShuaiGuan DayuRegularAn Di's employee.
Yuan YuanZhang LiliRegularAn Di's employee.
Sui YumengMi Xue'erRegularGuan Ju'er's fellow intern.
Zhu MengyaoXiao YeRegularGuan Ju'er's fellow intern.
Li XuetingAh Guan NanGuestQu Xiaoxiao's former classmate. She wanted to seduce Qi Dian, and thus framed An Di as a third party.
Wei WeiXiao NanGuestA debtor who extorted hospital bills from Fan Shengmei.
Johnny ChenChen JiakangGuestFan Shengmei's admirer.
Jin ZehaoShu ZhanGuestGuan Ju'er's matchmaking partner.
Lu LingMrs. WeiGuestWei Guoqiang's wife.

Soundtrack

Season One

TitleSinger
"说不出口" (Can't Say It Aloud)Liu Tao
"灰姑娘" (Cinderella)Jiang Xin
"我要你" (I Want You)Wang Ziwen
"开的比花香" (More Fragrant Than Flowers)Yang Zi
"破茧" (Breaking out of the Cocoon)Bridgette Qiao
"陪你左右" (Staying By Your Side)Zu Feng
"空气" (Air)Zu Feng
"你我" (You and Me)Yang Shuo
"爱情这样开始" (Love Begins Like This)Zhang Jiang
"欢乐颂" (Ode to Joy)Zhang Jiang
"繁星" (Array of Stars)Zhang Jiang
"总有幸福在等你" (There Will Be Happiness Waiting for You)Liu Tao, Jiang Xin, Wang Ziwen, Yang Zi, Bridgette Qiao

Season Two

TitleSingerNotes
"我们“ (Us)Liu Tao, Jiang Xin, Wang Ziwen, Yang Zi, Bridgette QiaoTheme song
"家的滋味" (The Feeling of Home)Liu TaoAn Di's theme song
"遇到爱“ (Meeting Love)Liu TaoAn Di's theme song
"不怕一个人" (Not Afraid to be Alone)Jiang XinFan Shengmei's theme song
"我管可爱你管帅" (I'm Cute, You're Handsome)Wang ZiwenQu Xiaoxiao's theme song
"蚯蚓" (Earthworm)Yang ZiQiu Yingying's theme song
"想做你的瘋女孩" (I Want To Be Your Crazy Girl)Bridgette QiaoGuan Ju'er's theme song
"吻你之时别再躲" (Don't Hide When I Kiss You)Yang ShuoBao Yifan's theme song
"愛我所愛" (Love What I Love)Deng LunXie Tong's theme song
"咖哩咖哩" (Curry Curry)Milk Coffee
"天已黑" (Night Has Fallen)Aska Yang
"天已黑" (Night Has Fallen)Deng Lun & Li YangVersion 2
"音樂帶我解脫" (Music Brings Me Relief)Xu Hebin
"只要你一個" (I Only Want You)Dongdong Dong
"逆光飛翔" (Fly Against the Light)Xu Hebin
"錯愛" (Wrong Love)Quan Zhendong
"錯過" (Let Slip)Su Lisheng

Reception

Critical reception

After airing, Ode to Joy received positive reviews from critics. People's Daily considered the series as a "new style of modern drama" which caters to women.[2] The series has also been praised for breaking away from the cookie-cutter nature of TV dramas that often feature a pure and kind-hearted Cinderella-like figure as its protagonist; and for injecting a new lease of life into the domestic TV drama industry.[3][4] Hailed as China's answer to Sex and the City, the drama has been praised for its realistic story and characters which viewers were able to empathize with. Sohu commented that Ode to Joy reveals the hardships that exist underneath the surface of shiny metro life, while also exploring different social rungs. Another success factor was due to its high production quality which showcases China's modern developments.[3][5][6]

Oppositely, the series has also been criticized for encouraging the worship of wealth and leading audiences to become immersed in a world of pure illusion.[3] The second season of the drama was also criticized for its repetitive plot, merely having a rating of 5.2 on Douban. Additionally, it was further panned for its materialist message.[7] The series has also caused heated discussion about "virgin obsession" on social media platforms.[8]

Commercial reception

Ode to Joy is a hit with both domestic and overseas viewers. The first season of the drama has over 18.3 billion views as of December 2016, becoming the most watched contemporary drama in China, before being surpassed by Love O2O.[9] The total number of views on Youtube also reached over 50 million, surpassing the record previously set by Nirvana in Fire[6] and Princess Agents.[10]

The second season of the drama is also commercially successful, with over 1 percent viewership ratings in China and has acquired a strong international following.[11]

Awards and nominations

YearAwardCategoryNominated workResultRef.
20167th Macau International Television FestivalBest Television SeriesOde to JoyWon
201711th National Top-Notch Television Production Award CeremonyOutstanding Television SeriesWon[12]
2nd China Quality Television Drama CeremonyQuality Drama Example of the YearWon[13]
Audience Favorite TV Series (Dragon TV)Won
Quality Ensemble of the YearLiu Tao, Jiang Xin, Wang Ziwen, Yang Zi, Bridgette QiaoWon
Audience's Favorite Quality StarLiu TaoWon
Most Improved Actors of the YearWang Ziwen, Yang ShuoWon
Quality Producer of the YearHou Hongliang (also for When a Snail Falls in Love)Won
22nd Huading AwardsBest DirectorKong Sheng, Jian ChuanheNominated[14]
Best ScreenwriterYuan ZidanNominated
Best ActressLiu TaoNominated
Best Actress (Contemporary)Jiang XinNominated
Best Supporting ActorZu FengNominated
Best Supporting ActressWang ZiwenNominated
Top 10 Television SeriesOde to JoyWon
23rd Shanghai Television FestivalBest Television SeriesNominated[15]
Best DirectorKong Sheng, Jian ChuanheNominated
Best WritingYuan ZidanNominated
Best ActressLiu TaoNominated
Jiang XinNominated
Best Supporting ActorJin DongNominated
Best Supporting ActressWang ZiwenNominated
Yang ZiNominated
8th Macau International Television FestivalBest ActressLiu TaoNominated[16]
Best Supporting ActressWang ZiwenNominated
201831st Flying Apsaras AwardOutstanding Television Series (Modern)Ode to JoyWon[17]
Outstanding ActressLiu TaoNominated
Jiang XinNominated
29th China TV Golden Eagle Award Best Actress Liu Tao Nominated [18]
Yang Zi Nominated

International broadcast

Season One

ChannelLocationDate
Dragon Television China18 April 2016
Zhejiang Television
Shandong Television24 May 2016
Jiangxi Television27 June 2016
Jia Le Channel (Singtel TV 502) Singapore1 September 2016
Videoland ON TV Taiwan21 September 2016
ELTA Drama6 October 2016
NTV7 (Astro 107) Malaysia27 October 2016
8TV (Astro 708)8 July 2017
Guangdong Television China27 June 2017
TVB Hong Kong21 January 2018 (TVB Chinese Drama)
Rupavahini Sri Lanka8 May 2018[19]

Season Two

ChannelLocationDate
Dragon Television China11 May 2017
Zhejiang Television
Astro Quan Jia HD (Astro 308) Malaysia24 April 2017
Tianjin Television China27 July 2017
Jia Le Channel (Singtel TV 502) Singapore25 September 2017
Videoland ON TV Taiwan27 September 2017
ELTA Drama2 October 2017
Southeast Television China19 February 2018
TVB Hong Kong17 May 2018

References

  1. ↑ "Ode to Joy 2 returns on May 11". Shanghai Daily. May 3, 2017.
  2. ↑ 人民日报海外版：《欢乐颂》为都市剧的创新探路 People's Daily May 8, 2016
  3. 1 2 3 "TV drama 'Ode to Joy' sparks discussion about changing values". The Global Times. May 15, 2016.
  4. ↑ "An Ode to Youth". Beijing Review. July 7, 2016.
  5. ↑ "Chinese "Ode to Joy" TV series seducing audiences in Vietnam". Xinhua News Agency. July 8, 2016.
  6. 1 2 "Mainland drama Ode to Joy captures the hearts of overseas viewers". The Global Times. May 23, 2016.
  7. ↑ "Show of the Week: Ode to Joy". The World of Chinese. June 3, 2017.
  8. ↑ "Virginity issue reflected in TV drama". China Daily. June 6, 2017.
  9. ↑ "Vlinkage reveals 16 Cdramas with over 10 Billions Online Views". A Virtual Voyage. V Linkage. December 11, 2016.
  10. ↑ "《楚乔传》曝定档海报 赵丽颖变特工少". Sina (in Chinese). May 22, 2017.
  11. ↑ "Daughters from Elysium". The Global Times. May 17, 2017.
  12. ↑ "第十一届电视制片业颁奖落幕 秦海璐蒋欣等获十佳". ifeng (in Chinese). February 20, 2017.
  13. ↑ "品质盛典：孙俪着戏装现身 胡歌现场致敬老艺术家". NetEase (in Chinese). March 3, 2017.
  14. ↑ "华鼎奖提名公布投票开启 《人民》吴刚陆毅齐入围". Sina (in Chinese). April 28, 2017.
  15. ↑ "23届上海电视节入围名单公布 《欢乐颂》获八项提名". ent.ifeng (in Chinese). May 24, 2017.
  16. ↑ "2017第八届澳门国际电视节奖项提名". Weibo (in Chinese). Macau International Television Festival. December 11, 2017.
  17. ↑ "第31届飞天奖暨第25届星光奖完整奖单". Sina.com.cn (in Chinese). April 3, 2018.
  18. ↑ "第29届中国电视金鹰奖提名演员名单出炉". Xinhua News Agency (in Chinese). October 9, 2018.
  19. ↑ "Kirilliyo - Sri Lanka Rupavahini Corporation". Rupavahini.lk. Retrieved 8 September 2018.
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