The Dream Makers II

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The Dream Makers II
志在四方 II
Also known as The Dream Makers 2
Genre Drama
Media Industry
Romance
Office Politics
Written by Rebecca Leow 洪汐
Starring Zoe Tay
Li Nanxing
Huang Biren
Jeanette Aw
Rui En
Qi Yuwu
Romeo Tan
Julie Tan
Zhang Zhenhuan
Ian Fang
Damian Lau
Chen Meifeng
Opening theme 终于 by Kit Chan
Ending theme See Music
Country of origin Singapore
Original language(s) Chinese
No. of episodes 32 (list of episodes)
Production
Executive producer(s) Paul Yuen 袁树伟
Wong Foong Hwee 黄芬菲
Production location(s) Singapore
Melbourne, Australia
Running time approx. 45 minutes (excluding advertisements)
Release
Original network Mediacorp Channel 8
Original release 4 December 2015 –
18 January 2016
Chronology
Preceded by Crescendo
Followed by House of Fortune
Related shows The Dream Makers (2013)
External links
Website

The Dream Makers II (Chinese: 志在四方II, commonly referred to as The Dream Makers 2 or ZZSF2) is a 32-episode Singaporean drama produced and telecast on Mediacorp Channel 8. The series is a sequel to the 2013 series The Dream Makers. It began production in June 2015 and will begin its run from 4 December 2015. The series stars Zoe Tay, Li Nanxing, Huang Biren, Jeanette Aw, Rui En, Qi Yuwu, Romeo Tan, Julie Tan, Zhang Zhenhuan, Ian Fang, Chen Meifeng and Damian Lau as the main characters of the series. The show is Channel 8's end-year blockbuster for 2015.

The series finale end credits include a special tribute to legendary MediaCorp actor, Huang Wenyong, who died in 2013, and all those who contribute assiduously to the TV industry. Huang previously starred in The Awakening, Seletar Robbery and Army Series, and was the subject of a current affairs special Remembering Huang Wenyong.

Plot

It has been three years since Zhou Weiyun (Zoe Tay) had been transferred from the Variety department to the Drama department to be the VP. Since the death of Yu Fan (Chen Hanwei), Weiyun's outlook on life had changed. She becomes more cheerful and personable in her dealings with others. She stays with her mother, who has dementia, and a maid and lives life like a swinging bachelorette, focusing on her work. She produces programmes that are sincere and from her heart. As she does not produce shows just to please the viewers, coupled with the rising popularity of internet content, the ratings for TV dramas have been falling, adversely affecting the advertising dollars as a result. There seems to be no breakthrough.

Her bosses decide to hire a powerful lady, Guan Xie En (Huang Biren) to be another VP for the drama department to pressurize Weiyun. She is a business management genius who is good in marketing and cost cutting, and takes over half of Weiyun's production resources. Although she is supposed to be allocated only the 7pm slot, she manages to pull in enough sponsors to take over the prime-time slot of 9pm, competing directly with Weiyun. Drama department is then split into two teams. Some of Weiyun's subordinates betray her for Xie En. However, Xie En is shrewd enough and pushes the disloyal lot back to Weiyun.

Meanwhile, since Weiyun's departure from the variety department, it had been under the charge of another VP, Lin Tao (Li Nanxing). Lin Tao is very creative and innovative, so the ratings for variety shows have been on the rise, performing much better than when it was under Weiyun. Actually, Lin Tao is anxious to be successful as he has a vengeful motive. Many years ago, he had set up a production house with his good friend, Richard, but Richard later absconded with his money and even stole his girlfriend. Lin Tao is determined to succeed and prove himself to Richard.

The three VPs have different goals in life, and different way of handling things. They are friends and rivals at the same time as they have to compete with each other, yet help one another, and are in the same boat.

Lin Tao has a cold surface, but is actually very compassionate. For four years, he has been helping Eddy (Edwin Goh), a young man who used to steal, watching over him and teaching him to be independent and making money through his own merit. After accepting Eddy as his godson, Lin Tao finds out that Eddy is Xie En's son. In the past, Xie En was spending time building her career, and after divorcing her husband, she gave up custody of her two sons. Eddy bore much resentment against Xie En, but his younger brother, Eden, had been deceived into thinking that his mother had died. Both of Xie En's children went to live with her when her husband died from cancer. Xie En tried very hard to be a good mother to make up for lost time, but her children were already estranged from her. Lin Tao thus becomes a bridge between the two parties.

Weiyun's nephew, Joey (Ian Fang) joins the entertainment industry. He is full of himself and behaves in an arrogant manner. Weiyun reprimands him frequently, so their relationship becomes very strained. Weiyun sponsors Joey's parents on a trip to Greece, but their tour coach falls off a cliff and they are killed in the accident. After Joey had overcome his grief, he becomes even more extreme. Weiyun tries to make amends because she feels guilty about his parents' death. The two young men's presence in their lives give Weiyun and Xie En a common topic to talk about and they become much closer.

Fang Tonglin (Rui En) is excellent both in hosting and acting, giving the reigning queen of the station, Zhao Fei Er (Jeanette Aw) a lot of pressure. Meanwhile, the relationship between Tonglin and Jason Lam (Qi Yuwu) had become more stable, with marriage on the cards. Jason has been promoted to executive producer, but he is still a perfectionist at heart, setting excessively high standards, thus making many enemies at his workplace. Fei Er still has not gotten over him, so she is very resentful and envious towards Tonglin. Fei Er is paired with Zhong Yiming (Romeo Tan), an actor who is popular in China, Hong Kong and Taiwan, as an on-screen couple, but privately, she dislikes his narcissism intensely. The two of them would try to sabotage each other whenever possible. However, when Yiming goes through a rough patch, it is Fei Er who helps him get back on his feet. He falls in love with her and tries to repay her.

When Jason is filming a scene involving Joey one day, an accident occurs which injures a passer-by. Joey pushes all the blame to Jason, and secretly begs his aunt Weiyun to help. As Jason could see that Weiyun is siding with Joey out of her own guilt, he takes the blame on himself and quits. He becomes a hawker, but though he seems not to care about his circumstances, he is actually very frustrated with his own plight. He has many arguments with Tonglin, who has become increasingly popular. Thinking that Jason still feels for Fei Er, Tong Lin breaks up with him in a huff. Fei Er is thus accused of being the third party, which badly affects her career and many start to criticize her acting.

A new television station is also awarded a TV license, which hit VBS very badly. There is much speculation over who would be head hunted to join the rival station. It turns out to be Lin Tao. Lin Tao has been secretly recruiting the best talent to join him. He wants to start a charity show, and hopes to reach new heights and impress his new superiors. He takes a risk with dangerous stunts. However, he never expected Eddy, who has just become a stunt double to get seriously injured. Eddy becomes a stunt double for Tonglin to win Lin Tao's compliment, but ends up falling badly. Lin Tao suffers another blow when he finds out that his new boss is his arch enemy, Richard. He is shattered that his years of hard work culminated in hurting his beloved godson. All these fighting and rivalry have left Weiyun bitter and disillusioned, so she seriously considers leaving the entertainment industry. Should she stay or go? Would Xie En ever forgive Lin Tao for bringing harm to her son? Should she try to retain Wei Yun and try to work as a team with her?

For this group of professionals in the TV industry, where they face challenges in their career, love life and family, what will their decision be? Will they be a positive influence and rise to the challenge?

Cast

  • Credited cast mentioned

Main Cast

Cast Character Description Episodes Appeared
Zoe Tay
郑惠玉
Zhou Weiyun
周薇芸
Vice-President of VBS Drama Department
Ex Vice-President of VBS Variety Department
Joey's paternal aunt
Lin Tao and Guan Xie En's colleague and rival in work
Lin Tao's childhood playmate
Eden's godmother
Caused the deaths of Zhou Jialong and Xu Guixiang when she suggested they go to Greece
  • Zhou Weiyun has been the Vice President of the Drama Department for 3 years. However, from the management’s perspective, there has not been any breakthrough in her performance. She does not give in to the viewers’ preferences and refused to blindly produce family dramas just to gain more viewership ratings. On the contrary, she is bold in producing dramas with different kinds of themes; even if, she knows that it will cost her viewership ratings. She also often overspends her budget in order to produce dramas of high quality. Nonetheless, she is able to complement her shortcomings with her devotion to push local dramas be recognized internationally. As the dramas she produces are not able to generate much revenue for the company, the management decides to employ an elite from the business sector, Guan Xie En, as a Vice President to work alongside Weiyun. With the new addition, the management separates the Drama Department into two teams to have them compete with each other.

Got into a car crash with Lin Tao when she stops him from killing Richard Ma in episode 31
Was discharged in episode 32 after sustaining the danger zone
Younger version portrayed by 蔡柔颖

1, 11 (younger)
1-5, 7-9, 11, 14-20, 22-23, 25, 27-32
Li Nanxing
李南星
Lin Tao
林韬
LT, Big Head (大头)
Vice-President of VBS Variety Department
Eddy and Eden's godfather
Zhou Weiyun and Guan Xie En's colleague and rival in work
Fang Tonglin's superior and rival in work
Zhou Weiyun's childhood playmate
  • Lin Tao is full of creativity and novel ideas. Even though he is adept in the creative concept of programs, he knows little about the management of human resources. He once had a production company and co-produced many popular variety shows in Taiwan. After his company closed down, he was engaged by the TV station to replace Weiyun and became the Vice President of the Variety Department. Crazy and elusive, he does not do things in a logical way. In order for the program to be successful, he will create situations in the program to surprise viewers at the expense of his principles. Hence, the variety programs produced by him are well received by the viewers, far exceeding Weiyun’s performance. Beyond his eccentricities and tough appearance, there lies a tender heart. On one hand he seems to be interested in Zhou Weiyun but on the other, he seems affectionate towards to Guan Xie En.

Arranged a scene on set of Minute to Ace It by having Steve Lim strip his clothes in front of Fei'er and Chen Guang quarrel with Steve in episode 2
Arranged Tonglin's public proposal with Jason on set of Minute to Ace It in episode 3, under a win-win-win situation
Had dreamt of killing Richard Ma in episode 14
Pretended to quarrel with Chen Guang in episode 16
Was invited to be a CEO of a new company called OBS and accepted it; betraying VBS in episode 22
Recruited many people from VBS to OBS in episode 24
Sacked from VBS by Zheng Shouyi (the new chairman) at the town hall in episode 27
Discovered his boss is his sworn enemy, Richard Ma in episode 30
Was humiliated by Richard Ma when he tricked Lin Tao to bow down to him. Attempted to kill Richard Ma but got into a car crash with Weiyun in episode 31
Attempted to commit suicide in episodes 31 and 32, but did not do so when snippets of Huang Wenyong aired on a huge screen of a shopping mall
Teenage version portrayed by Ian Teng (丁立翊)

6, 11 (teenage)
1-3, 5, 7-12, 14-16, 18-20, 22, 24, 27, 30-32
Huang Biren
黄碧仁
Guan Xie En
官谢恩
Ms Guan, Her Majesty (谢主隆恩), Guillotine (血滴子), Steel Lady (铁娘子)
Vice-President of VBS Drama Department
Eddy and Eden's mother
Xu Yuanchi's ex-wife
Zhou Weiyun and Lin Tao's colleague and rival in work
Chen Guang's colleague and sworn enemy
Caused the death of Chen Zhiming
  • Despite having limited knowledge of drama production, she manages the budget very well due to her business background. The management decides to employ her into the drama team as a Vice President together with Zhou Weiyun. In order to achieve greater heights, she aims to kick Weiyun out. With the lack of experience in drama, she focuses on the profits and viewership of the program at the expense of its production quality. After being more familiar with the industry, she becomes arrogant and holds no regard for Weiyun. On the surface she looks like an arrogant woman who looks down on men who are weaker than her, but in fact she is a lonely person who is a divorcee with two sons.

Helped Jason Lam clear his name after she gave the video of Tonglin being hit by eggs she filmed in episode 23
Apologized to Chen Guang for causing his brother's death in episode 27

2-5, 7-8, 10-11, 14-18, 20-23, 25-32
Rui En
瑞恩
Fang Tonglin
方彤琳
Scatterbrain (大头虾), Little Bug (小虫)
VBS Artiste
Actress and Television Host
Fang Yuanren's younger sister
Jason Lam's fiancée
Zhao Fei Er's best friend, later rival in love
Zhou Weiyun's subordinate and best friend
Lin Tao's subordinate and rival in work
Chen Guang's colleague and rival in work
In love with Jason Lam and married him in episode 19
Fan Club: Lingers Club
Won Best Actress in the 26th Star Awards: Through the Back Door (旁门左道)
  • Tonglin is a host and an actress who has an affinity with the general public and is deeply loved by the viewers. Her popularity starts to take off and catches up with veteran actress, Zhao Fei Er. Tonglin, who is bold and brave, initiates a marriage proposal to Jason. She sees Fei Er as a bosom friend and helps her in any way she can. However through her observations, she realizes that both Jason and Fei Er still have each other in their hearts. Fei Er was Jason’s first love, and Tonglin knows that Fei Er is irreplaceable. Tonglin is upset about this but she stays true to Jason.

Was forced to propose to Jason by Lin Tao in the live show in episode 3
Clarified she is not the third party in Jason and Fei Er's relationship in episode 7
Argued with Fei'er and Jason upon discovering Fei'er kissed Jason, resulting her loss of friendship with Fei'er in episode 19, but ultimately reconciled with Jason
Was pelted with eggs by Fei'er's male fans in episode 20, who realize Xie'en was filming from behind
Got her face disfigured and right eye blinded in episode 28, caused by Zihuai
Got back up in episode 30 after watching the encouragement video
Became a DJ in episode 31, and forgave Zihuai and Fei'er
Reconciled with Fei'er in episode 32
Gave birth to a baby girl in the end
Younger version portrayed by 周倩依

1 (younger)
1-10, 12-13, 15, 17-24, 26, 28-32
Qi Yuwu
戚玉武
Jason Lam
蓝钦辉
Thrifty Man (节省男)
VBS Drama Department Executive Producer
Fang Tonglin's fiancé
Zhao Fei Er's ex-boyfriend and love interest
In love with Fang Tonglin and married her in episode 19
  • Jason has been filming movies for three years, and the box office has not been doing well. He finds commercial films a disdain and refuses to film them. He is then invited to return to the TV station by Weiyun to be a producer and director. As an award-winning director, he feels the pressure and expects high standards in his productions, although they only attract a small group of viewers. His reluctance to incorporate commercial elements into his drama offends one of the Vice Presidents of the drama team, Guan Xie En.

Accepted Tonglin's proposal in the live show in episode 3
Indirectly revealed Xie'en and Eden's relationship in episode 17, which Got Problem overheard
Argued with Tonglin when she discovered Fei'er kissed him, but ultimately reconciled in episode 19
Protected Tonglin who was pelted with eggs by men who stood up for Fei'er in episode 20, and even punched one of them
Read about Tonglin returning his trophies he discarded back home in episode 29
Helped to make a video to encourage Tonglin, helping her get back up in episode 30
Forgave Zihuai in episode 31
Reconciled with Fei'er in episode 32
Became a father in the end
Younger version portrayed by 梁其诚

1 (younger)
1-7, 9-15, 17-24, 26, 28-32
Jeanette Aw
欧萱
Zhao Fei Er
赵非儿
VBS Artiste
Actress
Zhao De's older daughter
Dong Zihuai's older sister and sworn enemy
Jason Lam's ex-girlfriend
Zhong Yiming's love interest
Fang Tonglin's best friend, later rival in love
Fang Yuanren's sworn enemy from episode 28
Chen Guang's colleague and rival in work
In love with Jason Lam
Fan Club: Flyers Club
  • As Fei Er's status grows in the industry, she holds on to Yu Fan's spirit, teaching the younger artistes and using her status to contribute back to society. Even though she had broken up with Jason, Fei Er still hasn't moved on. She is always greatly affected upon seeing him with Tonglin and has been trying hard to treat Jason as a friend but always fails to do so. Her on-screen pairing with Zhong Yiming is greatly loved by the viewers so Xie En promotes them as an on-screen couple. Fei Er detests Yiming for his poor attitude towards his acting career and unknowingly offends him. He plays a series of pranks on her as revenge and she retaliates back. He pretends to chase her and eventually starts to slowly fall for her. Upon discovering this, Fei Er does not know whether to believe his feelings toward her.

Spent a night with Yiming after kissing Jason and later Yiming in episode 6
Apologized on behalf of Flyers for the Lingers Party incident in episode 7
Argued with Tonglin when she discovered Fei'er kissed Jason and resulted with them losing their friendship in episode 19
Broke down during the actors' meeting and ran to the cafeteria in episode 21
Quit acting in episode 25 and chased Zihuai out of the house
Reconciled with Zihuai, but finds out she has been tricked when Zihuai hurts Tonglin, and was arrested and bailed afterwards in episode 28
Attempted suicide in episode 29, but survived with injuries and ended up in a hotel
Taken away by a rag-and-bone seller and his wife in episode 31, as she does not want to be with Zihuai
Tried to kill herself in episode 32 when Zihuai went into a tussle with the rag-and-bone seller, but inadvertently stabbed Zihuai
Reconciled with Tonglin, Jason, Yiming and Zihuai in the end
Younger version portrayed by Chloe Ng (黄颖恩)

1 (younger)
1-4, 6-10, 12-13, 15-19, 21, 23-25, 27-29, 31-32
Romeo Tan
陈罗密欧
Zhong Yiming
钟一鸣
VBS Artiste
Actor
Zhong Qianyi's son
In love with Zhao Fei Er
  • Zhong Yiming is termed the “King of Television Dramas” and viewership ratings are guaranteed when he is cast in dramas. He is a narcissistic character who is over obsessed with his appearance. He is also mischievous, narrow-minded and enjoys being worshipped. While filming, he repeatedly pranks on Fei Er, but later realizes he has fallen in love with her. He comes from a wealthy family background where his mother, Mrs Zhong Qianyi, is the chairman of a conglomerate who spoils him since young. Mrs Zhong made a pact with him - Regardless of whether he succeeds or fails, he has to return to her company after five years of living away from home and building his own career. Zhong Yiming had always thought that he achieved his fame through his ability. However, he realizes that he is merely just a “product” of his mother’s company. When he first started working his way into the entertainment industry, he constantly met with dead ends; his mother could not bear to see her son’s plight and decides to invest in films, indicating that Zhong Yiming must be cast.

Slept with Fei'er after he treated the crew to karaoke in episode 6
Chose to star in Entrapment in episode 7, but turned it down for Out to Win when Xie'en schemes to steal him back by bringing him near a rubbish dump
Began to fall in love with Fei'er after an encounter in the wild in episode 13
Found out his mother has sposored his fanclub to make him famous in episode 17
Left the actors meeting in episode 21 to check on Le-le at the hospital. Chose to go out of the hospital through the main door, with his mum, Diana and Le-le
Hired a private investigator to expose Zihuai's misdeeds in episode 29
Reunited with Fei'er in episode 32

1-2, 4-9, 12-13, 16-17, 19, 21, 23-25, 29-32
Julie Tan
陈欣淇
Dong Zihuai
董子怀
Main Villain
Twins, The Black Rose (黑玫瑰)
VBS Drama Department Screenwriter
Taiwan's blogger award winner
Zhao De's younger daughter
Zhao Fei Er's younger sister and sworn enemy
Chen Guang's love interest
Flyers Club's member
Plots to let Zhao Fei'er lose everything and take revenge on Zhao De
  • Dong Zihuai is Zhao Fei Er’s sister who shares the same parents. After Fei Er’s mother left home for Taiwan and got married. Fei Er's mother came back to Singapore to look for Fei Er. Zhao De raped Fei Er's mom and as a result Zihuai is a product from the rape. Zihuai's stepfather hated her since young for that. She has been through torture and abuse since young. She is back from Taiwan to take her revenge on Zhao Fei Er and Zhao De. Zihuai vents her frustration and oppression through writing. She starts writing on blogs after graduating from high school and obtains some fame. When she was 23, she won Taiwan’s blogger award and her popularity soared. She is then engaged by Xie En to become a scriptwriter.

Barged into a Lingers Party upon discovering Fei'er was Jason's ex-girlfriend and caused a rivalry between Lingers Club and Flyers Club in episode 6
Reunited with Zhao De and Zhao Fei'er in episode 10, but actually knew everything and revealed she filmed Fei'er kissing Jason on the sly
Faked her finger injury and schemed to create trouble between Jason and Fei'er by uploading the video in episode 12
Caused Fei'er to begin becoming depressed and throwing up in episode 13
Caused the resignation of Rufeng by revealing he copied a Taiwanese drama in episode 14
Deliberately let Fei'er read the negative online comments, knowing she is going into depression, in episode 15
Circulated the video to everyone by phone during the wedding in episode 18
Had secretly filmed Tonglin slapping Fei'er; deliberately let Fei'er face the reporters at the airport in episode 19
Secretly bookmarked pages regarding depression on Fei'er's laptop, prompting Zhao De to bring Fei'er to the clinic, where Fei'er ran away
Was chased out of the house by Fei'er in episode 25
Deliberately caused Fei'er to be arrested as well as Tonglin's face to be disfigured in episode 28
Exposed of her misdeeds by Zhong Yiming and was arrested in episode 29. Chen Guang bailed her out, and admits his love for her
Reconciled with Tonglin and Jason and forgave Zhao De in episode 31
Wanted to save Fei'er from the rag-and-bone seller, but was inadvertently stabbed by Fei'er in episode 32
Reconciled with Zhao De and Fei'er in the end upon her release from prison
Younger version portrayed by Isabel Yamada (山田熙)

4, 6-8, 10, 12-19, 21-32
Zhang Zhenhuan
张振寰
Chen Guang
陈光
Supporting Villain
Original name Chen Zhiqiang (陈志强)
VBS Artiste
Television Host
Chen Zhiming's younger brother
Guan Xie En's friend
Zhao Fei Er and Fang Tonglin's colleague and rival in work
In love with Dong Zihuai
Plots to take revenge on Guan Xie'en
  • Chen Guang is a veteran host with a glib tongue who has a dishonest appearance and makes him look like he can do anything for money and fame. He stays in close contact with Xie En and her two sons which triggers some rumors. His brother used to be Xie En’s subordinate and was jailed after being embroiled in a bribery case. Chen Guang believes that his brother was wronged and in order to pursue the truth, he tries to obtain Xie En’s trust by staying close to her. He eventually falls for Zihuai.

Had followed Xie'en and arranged the road bully incident, vowed revenge for his brother in episode 8
Pretended to quarrel with Lin Tao and schemed to ruin Richard Ma's programme in episode 16
Told Eddy Xie'en's misdeeds in work, as well as tricked Joey by leaving his script during production in episode 18
Plotted to avenge his brother by causing Eddy to be arrested in episode 22
Put drugs in Eddy's room in episode 25
Reported to the police that Eddy took drugs but later regretted it when Eden told him Xie'en was his benefactor and warned Xie'en before the cops came in. Although, he still didn't forgive Xie'en in episode 26
Forgave Xie'en after she apologized to him at his brother's grave and decided to turn back his evil ways and live a more happier life in episode 27
Admitted his love for Zihuai in episode 29

1-3, 5, 8, 12-23, 25-32
Ian Fang
方伟杰
Joey Zhou Yaozu (Zhou Yuanhui)
周耀祖 (周鼋隳)
VBS Artiste
Actor and television host
Zhou Jialong and Xu Guixiang's son
Zhou Weiyun's nephew
  • He shoots to fame after starring in a movie about dance and becomes the idols of many young female fans. As he rose to fame too easily, he becomes arrogant and treats his seniors very rudely. He is often late and does not put in effort to memorize his lines. However, since he has many fans, he manages to keep getting new projects. Weiyun and Fei Er are constantly being kind and patient to him yet he sees them as a thorn in his flesh.

Changed his name, had a fight with Eddy over a taxi in episode 20
Caused Jason Lam's resignation when he insisted that he drive during filming and caused an accident in episode 23
Was addicted to drugs with his friend, Benson, in episode 25
Mended his wrongdoings and reconciled with Weiyun in episode 27; went into a rehabilitation centre till episode 28 at a low profile

5, 9, 15-18, 20, 22-23, 25, 27-28, 30, 32

VBS Television Station

Cast Character Description Episodes Appeared
Executives
Damian Lau
刘松仁
Zheng Shouyi
郑守义
VBS Chairman from episode 27
See Other Cast
Li Wenhai
李文海
MD Chong VBS Managing Director
Previously migrated, but went back as VBS' Managing Director as he is unable to adapt to the new environment
Promoted to Chief Executive Officer from episode 27
1-2, 11, 20, 22, 27, 32
Drama Department
Zoe Tay
郑惠玉
Zhou Weiyun
周薇芸
Vice-President of VBS Drama Department
Producer - Tragic Times (悲情年代), Entrapment (迷失陷阱), The Huang Siblings (黄家姐弟)
Redeployed to Variety Department in episode 29; redeployed back to Drama Department in episode 32
See Main Cast
Huang Biren
黄碧仁
Guan Xie En
官谢恩
Vice-President of VBS Drama Department
Producer - I Must Love You (今天要爱你), Goodbye Sweetie (再见甜心)
Was invited to OBS by Lin Tao, but turned down the offer in episode 30
See Main Cast
Qi Yuwu
戚玉武
Jason Lam
蓝钦辉
VBS Drama Department Executive Producer
Director (film) - Walk On (走走走)
Director (television) - Tragic Times (悲情年代), The Huang Siblings (黄家姐弟)
Left VBS in episode 23 following an incident involving Joey and went to set up a Penang laksa stall
Returned to VBS in episode 31
See Main Cast
Julie Tan
陈欣淇
Dong Zihuai
董子怀
VBS Drama Department Screenwriter
Joined VBS in episode 7
Creator/writer - I Must Love You (今天要爱你), Goodbye Sweetie (再见甜心)
Suspended in episode 30
Returned to VBS in episode 32
See Main Cast
Yeo Thiam Hock
杨添福
Ah Xiang
阿祥
VBS Drama Department stuntsman
Director - Tragic Times (悲情年代)
1, 4-5, 8, 10-11, 25, 28
Vincent Tee
池素宝
Ah Quan
阿全
VBS Drama Department Crew (Post-production)
Sacked due to lost tape, as his wife is ill
(Sacked - episode 3)
1-3
Wang Yuqing
王昱清
Qin Wenxu
秦文旭
Beast (禽兽)
VBS Drama Department Executive Producer
Executive producer - Tragic Times (悲情年代), Entrapment (迷失陷阱)
Was chosen to move to Xie'en's team instead of Jason Lam in episode 22, on request that he stop playing office politics
1-4, 7-11, 17-19, 21-22, 25, 29-30

杨迪嘉
Zhang Xiaoxiao
张小小
VBS Drama Department Screenwriter
Writer - Under the Sky (我们的天空), Entrapment (迷失陷阱)
Chose to be in Weiyun's team in episode 3
Requested her transfer to Variety Department in episode 29, as she does not wish to work for Xie'en
2-4, 7-8, 17, 29

杨佳盈
Veg
小菜
VBS Drama Department Crew (Post-production) 1-4, 6-10, 17-19, 22, 25, 27-30

李慧玲
Ah Ya
阿雅
VBS Drama Department Crew 2-4, 21

梁家豪
Rufeng
如风
VBS Drama Department Screenwriter
Dong Zihuai's rival in work
Writer - 3C Lover (3C情人), I Must Love You (今天要爱你)
Copied Xiaoxiao's script and was reprimanded by Xie'en in episode 7
Had edited the script Zihuai was working on before she submitted in episode 12, and teared the script in front of her
Was sacked by Xie'en in episode 14 over plagiarism, all thanks to Zihuai
(Sacked - episode 14)
2, 4, 7-8, 10, 12-14
Dylan Quek
郭景豪
Jinhao
金豪
VBS Drama Department Director
Director - I Must Love You (今天要爱你), Goodbye Sweetie (再见甜心)
2-4, 8-10, 18, 21, 23-25, 27, 29-30

陈斯倫
Peter VBS Drama Department Crew 2, 13-14, 22
Diya Tan
陈迪雅
Got Problem
有问题
VBS Drama Department Crew
No Problem's elder sister
1-11, 17-19, 23, 25, 27-30

林茜茜
No Problem
没问题
VBS Drama Department Crew
Got Problem's younger sister
2-5, 7-10, 12, 14, 21, 25, 27, 29-30

洪国锐
Uncle De
德叔
VBS Props Manager
Had made mistakes before in previous shows, and accidentally caused Eden to be injured in episode 11 when the stuntsman mistook the real pocketknife for the fake one
Forced to retire earlier by the management due to the accident in episode 14
Retired early in episode 17
Tried to attack Xie'en due to his sacking but was let off after Jason and Tonglin intervened in episode 18
4-5, 7, 11, 14, 17-18
Variety Department
Li Nanxing
李南星
Lin Tao
林韬
Vice-President of VBS Variety Department
Producer - 26th Star Awards (第26届星光大奖), Minute to Ace It (一分钟要你好看), They Live Happily Ever After (永J彤心), East Meets West (中西合璧)
Sacked from VBS by Zheng Shouyi at the town hall in episode 27
Returned to VBS in episode 32
See Main Cast
Ho Ai Ling
何爱玲
Little Apple
小苹果
VBS Variety Department Backstage
Resigned in episode 30
Returned to VBS in episode 32
1-3, 9-10, 15, 18-20, 24, 26-28, 30-32

林志强
Chameleon
变色龙
VBS Variety Department Crew
Resigned in episode 30
Returned to VBS in episode 32
1-3, 9-10, 12, 15, 18-20, 24, 26-27, 30-32

金举拱
Michael VBS Variety Department Executive Producer
Resigned in episode 30
Returned to VBS in episode 32
1-3, 9-10, 15, 18-20, 24, 27, 30-31

胡铭轩
Dominic VBS Variety Department Crew
Resigned in episode 30
Returned to VBS in episode 32
2-3, 9-10, 24, 27-32
Other backstage
Chase Tan
陈锦宏
Yiming's stunt double
一鸣替身
Stunt Double of Yiming - Tragic Times (悲情年代) 1-2
Xie Jiafa
谢家发
Voiceover
配音员
Voiceover for Zhong Yiming's role 2
Keith Png Fashion stylist
造型师
VBS Fashion Stylist 2

黄淑韵
Sister Mei
梅姐
VBS Make-Up Unit 4, 9
Artistes / Artiste Management
Foong Wai See
冯慧诗
Patricia VBS VP of Artiste Management Unit 5, 7, 11, 20, 23-24, 29
Rui En
瑞恩
Fang Tonglin
方彤琳
VBS Artiste
Actress and Television Host
Host - Minute to Ace It (一分钟要你好看), Lost and Found (寻人启示), Your Food Guide (带你找美食)
Female Lead - I Must Love You (今天要爱你), The Huang Siblings (黄家姐弟)
Returned to VBS after the assault incident as a DJ in episode 31
Returned to the big screen in episode 32
See Main Cast
Jeanette Aw
欧萱
Zhao Fei Er
赵非儿
VBS Artiste
Actress
Female Lead - Tragic Times (悲情年代), Entrapment (迷失陷阱), Goodbye Sweetie (再见甜心)
Host - They Live Happily Ever After (永J彤心) (pre-recorded)
Quit acting and left VBS in episode 25, but became even more depressed
See Main Cast
Romeo Tan
陈罗密欧
Zhong Yiming
钟一鸣
VBS Artiste
Actor
Male Lead - Tragic Times (悲情年代), I Must Love You (今天要爱你), Goodbye Sweetie (再见甜心)
See Main Cast
Zhang Zhenhuan
张振寰
Chen Guang
陈光
VBS Artiste
Television Host
Host/emcee - 26th Star Awards (第26届星光大奖), Minute to Ace It (一分钟要你好看), Entrapment publicity stint, Ask No One (一路不求人), They Live Happily Ever After (永J彤心) (live telecast)
See Main Cast
Ian Fang
方伟杰
Joey Zhou Yaozu (Zhou Yuanhui)
周耀祖 (周鼋隳)
VBS Artiste
Actor and television host
Male lead (film) - Centre Stage (舞林中人)
Host - Ask No One (一路不求人)
Male lead (television) - The Huang Siblings (黄家姐弟)
One of the three dukes of VBS
See Main Cast
Charlyn Lin
林翠芳
Female host
女主持人
VBS Artiste
Host - 26th Star Awards (第26届星光大奖)
1
Louis Wu
伍洛毅
Zhang Tianxiang
张天翔
VBS Artiste
Actor
Nominated for three awards in Star Awards 2015
Male Lead - Tragic Times (悲情年代), Entrapment (迷失陷阱)
1, 3, 11
Assistants
Joey Feng
冯瑾瑜
Cat Zhao Fei'er's assistant
Was suspected of betraying Fei'er and was fired in episode 21
Was called back to serve Fei'er in episode 27
1-4, 6-9, 13, 18-19, 21, 27-28

黄爱宝
Shanshan
珊珊
Fang Tonglin's assistant 1, 6-9, 13, 17-20, 26, 28, 30
Andrew Lua
赖泰均
Xiao-guo
小郭
Zhong Yiming's assistant
Mei Ya Group employee
4-7, 9, 13, 16, 26, 32
Maxi Lim
林俊良
Jack Zhong Yiming's assistant
Mei Ya Group employee
4-8, 12-13, 16, 23-24, 26, 30-32

Fang Family

Cast Character Description Episodes Appeared
Dennis Chew
周崇庆
Fang Yuanren
方元仁
Entertainment reporter of Lion City Daily
Variety show host
Fang Tonglin's elder brother
Host - Lost and Found (寻人启示)
  • Fang Yuanren is a newsroom reporter who is well informed and sensitive to things around him. He is scouted by Lin Tao to host a variety show together with Tonglin, which is well received by the viewers. He starts to experience the loss of freedom and privacy as his fame rises and he does not enjoy it one bit.
1-10, 13, 15-20, 24, 26, 28-30, 32
Rui En
瑞恩
Fang Tonglin
方彤琳
Fang Yuanren's younger sister
See Main Cast
Qi Yuwu
戚玉武
Jason Lam
蓝钦辉
Fang Yuanren's tenant
See Main Cast

Zhou Family

Cast Character Description Episodes Appeared
Choy Peng Hoy
蔡平开
Yalian
亚莲
Aunt Lian (莲姨)
Zhou Weiyun and Zhou Jialong's mother
Xu Guixiang's mother-in-law
Joey's grandmother
Suffers from dementia
Adult version portrayed by 陈秋虹
6, 11 (adult)
2, 5, 11, 16-17, 20, 22-23, 27-28
Zoe Tay
郑惠玉
Zhou Weiyun
周薇芸
Yalian's daughter
Zhou Jialong's elder sister
Xu Guixiang's sister-in-law
Joey's paternal aunt
See Main Cast
Andi Lim
林伟文
Zhou Jialong
周家龙
Yalian's son
Zhou Weiyun's younger brother
Xu Guixiang's husband
Joey's father
Went to Europe after episode 20
Died after the coach he is travelling on fell off a cliff in Greece
(Deceased - episode 22)
5, 16, 20
May Phua
潘淑钦
Xu Guixiang
许贵香
Yalian's daughter-in-law
Zhou Jialong's wife
Zhou Weiyun's sister-in-law
Joey's mother
Went to Europe after episode 20
Died after the coach she is travelling on fell off a cliff in Greece
(Deceased - episode 22)
5, 11, 16-17, 20
Ian Fang
方伟杰
Joey Zhou Yaozu (Zhou Yuanhui)
周耀祖 (周鼋隳)
Yalian's grandson
Zhou Jialong and Xu Guixiang's son
Zhou Weiyun's nephew
See Main Cast

Zhao Family

Cast Character Description Episodes Appeared
Richard Low
刘谦益
Zhao De
赵德
Taxi driver
Zhao Fei'er's father
Dong Zihuai's biological father and sworn enemy
Raped Fei'er's mother in the past when he found out she married a Taiwanese man
Suffered a stroke in episode 30, worrying for Zhao Fei'er
Reconciled with Zihuai in episode 32
4, 6, 10, 12-13, 18-19, 21, 24-25, 27-32
Jeanette Aw
欧萱
Zhao Fei Er
赵非儿
Zhao De's older daughter
See Main Cast
Julie Tan
陈欣淇
Dong Zihuai
董子怀
Zhao De's younger daughter
See Main Cast

Guan Family

Cast Character Description Episodes Appeared
Huang Biren
黄碧仁
Guan Xie En
官谢恩
Eddy and Eden's mother
Xu Yuanchi's ex-wife
See Main Cast
Edwin Goh
吴劲威
Eddy Xu Stunt double
Xu Yuanchi and Guan Xie'en's elder son
Has a strong hatred towards his mum and tried to cause trouble for her
Left house in episode 14 after he brought his girlfriend in his room
Was persuaded by Lin Tao and Chen Guang to go back home in episode 15
Had a fight with Joey over a taxi in episode 20
Returned to the wushu team in episode 24
Was set up by Chen Guang in episode 26, but was saved by Xie'en. Reconciled with Xie'en in the end
Was tied up in Lin Tao's house when Lin Tao is about to seek revenge in episode 31
Younger version portrayed by 蔡正龙
2-3, 5, 7-12, 14-16, 18, 20, 23-27, 29-32
Damien Teo
张值豪
Eden Xu Wenkai
许文凯
Xu Yuanchi and Guan Xie'en's younger son
Child actor - Entrapment (迷失陷阱)
Became rebellious after Eddy left house
Secretly took photos, making it appear that Xie'en is kissing Chen Guang in episode 14
Did not know that Xie'en is his mother until he overheard Xie'en and Weiyun quarreling in episode 15
Acknowledged Xie'en as his mother following his illness and Uncle De's incident in episode 18
Younger version portrayed by 林业腾
5, 7, 9-11, 13-18, 20, 23, 26-27, 29-30, 32

Zhong Family

Cast Character Description Episodes Appeared
Chen Meifeng
陈美凤
Zhong Qianyi
钟倩怡
Empress Wu (武则天)
Chairman of Mei Ya Group
  • Zhong Yiming’s mother, Zhong Qianyi is the chairman of a conglomerate who spoils him since young. Zhong Qianyi made a pact with him - Regardless of whether he succeeds or fails, he has to return to her company after five years of living away from home and building his own career. Zhong Yiming had always thought that he achieved his fame through his ability. However, he realizes that he is merely just a “product” of his mother’s company. When he first started working his way into the entertainment industry, he constantly met with dead ends; Qianyi could not bear to see her son’s plight and decides to invest in films, indicating that Zhong Yiming must be cast.

Met Zhao Fei'er for the first time in episode 13
Had agreed to sponsor Xie'en's new drama in episode 17, which Yiming will star in
Witnessed his son performing well on set in episode 24 and decided not to press him to take on the family business
Went to Taiwan in episode 25 after having dinner with Yiming and Fei'er
Went back to Singapore to address reporters during a press conference to give a monetary reward to anyone who can find Fei'er in episode 32

5-6, 13, 16-17, 21, 23-25, 32
Romeo Tan
陈罗密欧
Zhong Yiming
钟一鸣
Zhong Qianyi's son
See Main Cast

Lam Family

Cast Character Description Episodes Appeared

王昌黎
Jason's father
Jason父
Jason Lam's father
Arrived in Singapore in episode 17 for the wedding
Returned to Melbourne in episode 20 after the wedding
12, 17-20
Lin Ruping
林茹萍
Jason's mother
Jason母
Jason Lam's mother
Arrived in Singapore in episode 17 for the wedding
Returned to Melbourne in episode 20 after the wedding
12, 17-20
Qi Yuwu
戚玉武
Jason Lam
蓝钦辉
See Main Cast
Rui En
瑞恩
Fang Tonglin
方彤琳
See Main Cast

Other Cast

Cast Character Description Episodes Appeared
Damian Lau
刘松仁
Zheng Shouyi
郑守义
Every 18th day of the month, Zheng Shouyi will stand at bottom of a housing block and stare at the roof top of a HDB block for a couple of hours. He has a crippled leg, wears a pair of damaged spectacles and is dressed in old clothes. Weiyun notices Shouyi’s behavior for the past ten years whenever she passes by the blocks to buy chicken rice. She is curious as to why a crippled man would stand for hours staring at the blocks at a specific time each month. Little did she know that this man actually has another identity…
Survived his suicide attempt by Weiyun's father (indirectly) and Lin Tao (directly) 15 years ago
Caused the death of his wife and the tearing apart of his family
Became the chairman of VBS in episode 27 and eliminated Lin Tao
Reunited with his family in episode 32 after getting punched by Shoude
2, 4-5, 14, 16, 18, 20, 22, 27, 29-30, 32
Rayson Tan
陈泰铭
Richard Ma Main Villain
Lin Tao's ex-partner and sworn enemy
Chairman of RM Productions
Betrayed Lin Tao 10 years ago and even snatched Meiling away from him, but dumped her for another woman
Boss of Lawrence
Boss of OBS in episode 30
Tricked Lin Tao time and again in episodes 30 and 31
Was almost killed by Lin Tao in a car accident in episode 31
2, 5, 9-10, 12, 14-16, 22, 27, 30-31

Cameo appearance

Cast Character Description Episodes Appeared
Silver Ang
洪子惠
Li Peijun
李佩君
Actress
Appears in Star Awards 2015
1
Chen Hanwei
陈汉玮
Seo Jeong-hu
徐正厚
A look-alike of Yu Fan who hails from Jeju Island, South Korea
Appears in Star Awards 2015
1
Yusuke Fukuchi
福地祐介
Prince Kimura
木村天王
Japanese artiste
Star Awards 2015 Best Actress award presenter
1
Jaspers Lai
赖奕翰
Steve Lim Contestant of Minute to Ace It who stripped his clothes in front of Fei'er and the live audience and had a tiff with Chen Guang, all arranged by Lin Tao
Helped Lin Tao look for Meiling in episode 14, but left halfway as he is tired
2-3, 14

符永春
Zhou Chenggong
周成功
Yalian's husband
Zhou Weiyun's father
Previous VBS director
Indirectly saved Zheng Shouyi's life when he sees the television of a flat airing a scene of his drama
(Deceased)
2, 11
Collin Chee
钱翰群
Xu Yuanchi
许源池
Guan Xie'en's ex-husband
Eddy and Eden's father
Died by the time Xie'en arrives in his ward
(Deceased - episode 2)
2-3, 7-9, 18
Tin Wai Wai
陈慧慧
Xu Meiqing
许美青
Guan Xie'en's ex-sister-in-law
Xu Yuanchi's sister
Eddy and Eden's aunt
3, 7-10, 15-16
Tracy Lee
李美玲
Diana Claimed to have slept with Yiming and had his baby
Expressed, in episode 16, her wish to let her baby, Le-le, receive some fatherly love, as he has congenital biliary atresia
(Went back to Sarawak - episode 25)
4-5, 16, 21, 23
Ivy Tan
陈艾薇
Reporter
记者
Reporter for the bridal magazine 6

蔡贝儿
Tonglin's fan
彤琳粉丝
Lingers Club member
News of Jason with Fei'er are uploaded on the Web, leading to a rivalry between Lingers Club and Flyers Club in episode 6
6

何苓
Fei'er's fan
非儿粉丝
Flyers Club member
Barged into a Lingers Party with Zihuai upon discovering Fei'er was Jason's boyfriend in episode 6, leading to a rivalry between Lingers Club and Flyers Club
6
Seth Ang
翁兴昂
Lawrence Director of a new movie who was sacked from VBS previously
Works at RM Productions
Director - Centre Stage (舞林中人), Ask No One (一路不求人)
9, 15, 18, 22, 27, 31
Eelyn Kok
郭惠雯
Meiling
美玲
Lin Tao's girlfriend, but got snatched by Richard Ma when he betrayed him
Previously a hostess, but now works at the VBS cafeteria in episode 22 after Lin Tao helped her
9, 12, 14, 22

黄国雄
Chen Zhiming
陈志明
Chen Guang's elder brother
Died after being set up by Guan Xie'en
(Deceased - 10 years ago)
9, 18
Yan Bingliang
严丙量
Chen Dongqiang
陈东强
Restaurant chef who is approached for a new variety cooking show
Zheng Shouyi's benefactor
Diagnosed with stage 4 colon cancer
(Deceased - episode 27)
16, 20, 22, 27
Henry Heng
王利秦
Boss Zheng
郑老板
Tried to sexually assault Zhao Fei'er when she was auditioning for a new film in The Dream Makers 18
Yao Wenlong
姚玟隆
Zheng Shoude
郑守德
Zheng Shouyi's younger brother
Zheng Lixian's uncle, took him to his home after the gambling incident
Reunited with Zheng Shouyi in episode 32 after punching him
22, 32

陈蒙
Shouyi's mother
守义母
Zheng Shouyi and Zheng Shoude's mother
Persuaded Shouyi to give up his gambling acts
Reunited with Zheng Shouyi in episode 32
22, 32
Lina Ng
黄嫊方
Shouyi's wife
守义妻
Zheng Shouyi's wife
Tried to stop Shouyi from taking the money to gamble, but in the end died due to asthma
(Deceased - 15 years ago)
22
Ivan Lo 卢楷浚 (younger)

李家庆 (adult)

Zheng Lixian
郑力贤
Zheng Shouyi's son
Was taken away by Zheng Shoude to his home after the gambling incident
Reunited with Zheng Shouyi in episode 32
22 (younger)

32 (adult)


夏川
Old Song
老宋
Chairman of a new television station, OBS
Approached Lin Tao in episode 22
22, 30

包尚泽
Benson One of Joey's friends who introduced him to drugs 25
Roy Li
黎沸辉
Rag-and-bone man
旧货佬
A rag-and-bone man who discovered Fei'er and took her away
Attempted to steal possessions at Fei'er's house, but was witnessed by Zihuai. Tried to stop Zihuai from taking Fei'er away in episode 32 due to the reward, but Zihuai was inadvertently stabbed by Fei'er
31-32

林俐廷
Rag-and-bone man's wife
旧货佬
The rag-and-bone man's wife who also took Fei'er away 31

Deceased but mentioned

Cast Character Description Episodes Appeared
Chen Hanwei
陈汉玮
Yu Fan
余帆
Previous VBS Artiste
Host of Truth in the City (都市真心话)
Zhou Weiyun's boyfriend
Indirectly caused the death of his wife 12 years ago
Succumbed to a heart attack and died in the studio
(Deceased - The Dream Makers Episode 29)
Winner for Star Awards 2015 for Honorary TV Award
1
Huang Wenyong
黄文永
Himself
(Archival footage)
Previous VBS Artiste
Actor
Male Lead - The Awakening (雾锁南洋)
Appears in Remembering Huang Wenyong on the huge screen of a shopping mall near the building where Lin Tao attempted suicide, hence indirectly saving his life
(Deceased - 2 years ago)
20, 32

Development

Following season one's overwhelming success, with high viewership ratings, on television and both official and unofficial video streaming portals, huge turnout for its on-ground events, and winning 9 out of 21 nominations for 12 awards in Star Awards 20, MediaCorp announced the sequel to the series on end-2014.[1] As the series will coincide with MediaCorp's big move from Caldecott Hill to Mediapolis@one-north, MediaCorp announced plans to promote the show, including a mega-bulk publicity plan on major television, radio, and interactive media channels, and a charity gala premiere to increase sponsors' advertising profits.[2]

The cast of the series had imaging sessions for the show in May.[3][4] The production team had Jeanette Aw's wardrobe 'upsized' to match her role's elevated status. Rui En will be disfigured in the series, so make-up was done for her. In the imaging sessions, Julie Tan revealed that she began her preparation work for her role by watching Japanese dramas and practicing her expressions while looking into a mirror, and also made a trip to Taipei for five days to observe the behaviour of 'taimei's there.[5][6][7][8][9]

The show began filming on 10 June 2015, and held its lensing ceremony on 19 June. Taiwanese actress Chen Meifeng appeared in the lensing ceremony during her 5-to-6-day stint, dismissing rumours that she is in a relationship with Li Nanxing.[10][11][12] It was also revealed that the show will end on 15 January 2016 with 32 episodes. The imaging session for the poster was held on 29 June 2015, involving the main cast.[13][14] In addition, Zoe Tay and Aw went to China International Film & TV Programs Exhibition (CIFTPE) in Beijing to promote the show.[15] The bridal magazine sequence was shot on 24 July at the Peranakan Museum, with Aw, Romeo Tan, Rui En and Qi Yuwu.[16][17]

TVB actor Damian Lau went to Singapore in September for the show. One of his scenes involves a flashback with him attempting suicide from a 13-storey HDB flat. Because the haze had hit unhealthy ranges, Lau was under the weather and declined all media interviews, but felt much better at the time Toggle interviewed him. During the filming, Li, dressed in his 90s' style haircut in the scene, brought in herbal tea for him, while Tay offered local cakes and snacks.[18][19][20][21]

The production crew and cast (Tay, Li, Qi, Aw, Rui En and Romeo Tan), together with the Toggle reporting crew, head to Melbourne on 25 September for around 10 days of filming. Toggle made live reports throughout their stint. The cast also provided their experiences while filming for the show on Thursdays, beginning from 15 October.[22][23][24][25][26][27][28][29][30][31] Filming wrapped up in October 2015.

Music

It was announced that Kit Chan, who previously provided theme songs for My Home Affairs and Devotion, will be performing for the theme song, Finally (《终于》).[32][33] Serene Koong, who performed the theme song for the first season performed one of the sub-theme song for the series, All Alone (《当世界只剩下我一个人》). She revealed that her eyes became swollen from crying after binge-watching the complete first season twice, but eventually composed the lyrics of the song in half a day.[34][35] Other sub-theme songs include Happiness Isn't Hard (the first season theme song), Learn to Love and Hate-Love (alternate composition of the theme song).

Song title Song type Performer Composer(s) Lyricist(s) Song Arranger(s) Producer(s) Provided by
终于
(Finally)
Theme Song Kit Chan Wu Jiahui 李欣怡 Terence Teo 柯贵民 Banshee Empire
当世界只剩下我一个人
(All Alone)
Sub-theme Song 1 Serene Koong Serene Koong Kenn C Serene Koong GoodGirlMusic
幸福不难
(Happiness Isn't Hard)
Sub-theme Song 2 N/A
学者爱
(Learn to Love)
Sub-theme Song 3 Eric Chou Eric Chou Eric Chou
Wu I-Wei
N/A Sony Music
狠狠爱
(Hate-Love)
Sub-theme Song 4 Wu Jiahui Wu Jiahui Wu Jiahui N/A Small Box Music

Release

Social media

Online popularity contests involving cast members were held on Facebook and Instagram, which began on 11 October. Each week, users can support the casts' posts according to the challenge by liking them. The cast with the highest total likes on their posts will win for that week.

Two "Battle of the Queens" and three "Battle of the Dukes" challenges have been organized on social media.

Results

Online exclusives were also released on Toggle and MediaCorp Channel 8's YouTube channel. Titled "The Gossip Makers" (8卦四方), these videos attempt to poke fun of the Singaporean entertainment scene, and gets audiences ready for the return of The Dream Makers. Different topics include:

  • Spicy Talk - Celebrities read out posts by social media critics. For example, Elvin Ng was being nicknamed as "Woody Ng"; critics did not like Rebecca Lim paired up with Romeo Tan; Carrie Wong was compared with an Avatar character.
  • Pattern A Lot (PATTERN多多的艺人) - Fans can catch their favourite celebrities, such as Dennis Chew, Somaline Ang and Ian Fang, making outrageous cameo appearances.
  • Dennis Ghost Story (周公讲鬼) - The live-action version of the Love 97.2FM radio programme of the same name, Dennis Chew will tell netizens spooky stories that haunted celebrities out.
  • Short Cut (长片短说) - Dennis Chew recaps the first season of The Dream Makers in five minutes in every clip.

On-ground events

An autograph session for the series was on 7 November 2015, at Square 2, hosted by YES 933 FM DJ Kenneth Chung Kun Wah. Zoe Tay, Romeo Tan, Zhang Zhenhuan and Ian Fang were present at the event, and interacted with the audience. The first 150 audience to form the queue for the event will get to receive an autographed poster and a goodie bag each. A meet-and-greet session was held on 15 November at Junction 10, where Dennis Chew joined the above-mentioned cast. Similarly, the first 150 audience to form the queue for the event will get to receive a limited-edition tumbler and a goodie bag each.

Press conference

A press conference was held on 18 November 2015. Zoe Tay, Huang Biren, Jeanette Aw, Rui En, Qi Yuwu, Romeo Tan, Julie Tan, Zhang, Fang and Chew attended the conference.[36][37][38][39] During the conference, the cast shared their experience in making the show.

Charity gala finale

Previously planned as a charity gala premiere, Mediacorp announced a charity gala finale at its new premises at Mediapolis@one-north which was held on 16 January 2016.[2] Besides Zoe Tay, Huang Biren, Romeo Tan, Julie Tan, Zhang Zhenhuan and Ian Fang, supporting cast Joey Feng, Damien Teo and Maxi Lim also attended the finale. This event was hosted by DJs Chung Kun Wah and Lin Lingzhi. The event began at 7.00pm, but before that, a red carpet was held for the event at 5.30pm, where eight lucky winners from a Facebook contest got a hair and face makeover, and strutted down the red carpet along with the cast. The lucky winners also got a pair of tickets and pre-show cocktail party, for both the winner and an accompanying partner.

Apart from an entertaining showbiz talk, audience also got to take part in a charity auction, where items featured in the show, including Zhou Weiyun and Guan Xie En's identical dresses, lanyards, Fei Er's merchandise and Jason and Tonglin's wedding merchandise were put up on sale. Minimum bids began from $25 each of the lanyards and the glass shoe to $200 for each of the dresses. The highest bidder went to Chen Guang's lanyard and bear, where she was invited to the finale to collect these items on stage. The finale episode was then screened to round up the day's event.[40] Over $20,000 went to Mediacorp Cares beneficiaries, from tickets sales, auction sales and sponsor donations.[41][42]

DVD Release

The Dream Makers 2 DVD has been released in Poh Kim Video stores.

Trivia

  • This is Zoe Tay and Huang Biren's first drama collaboration in 27 years. It was reported that Huang was already considered by the production team for a part in this drama as early as two years ago.[3]
  • This is also Huang Biren's first drama collaboration with Rui En, Romeo Tan, Zhang Zhenhuan, Edwin Goh and Damien Teo.
  • This is Hong Kong TVB actor Damian Lau's second Singaporean drama series after Dare To Strike, and Taiwanese actress Chen Meifeng's first Singaporean drama.
  • Zhang Zhenhuan's third villainous role after Our Homeland and Against the Tide and Julie Tan's second villainous role after Unriddle 2.
  • Huang Biren collaborates with Julie Tan for the third consecutive time in this series (the previous two being Three Wishes and Tiger Mum).
  • At the end of each episode just before the ending credits, a quote from a renowned celebrity will be shown. Snippets of the next five episodes are shown during the ending credits of each episode. This is the 12th series where News Tonight commentaries are not announced. However, the audio for the snippets is muted as of episode 27.
  • In episodes 13 and 15, Dennis Chew mentions "Auntie Lucy" as his fan, where Lucy is Auntie's lost cat to which he found. In episode 22, "Auntie Lucy" is the cleaner at Studio 6 (the coffeeshop setting with a green screen as seen in episode 2), by coincidence.

Awards & Nominations 2016

The Dream Makers II has the most number of nominations for Star Awards 2016, with 26 nominations - 8 technical, 11 performance and 7 voting-based - in 15 award categories, up from 21 in 2014. Jeanette Aw announced her withdrawal from voting-based categories in 2015, following her Favourite Female Character win for The Journey: Tumultuous Times, but still continued to win the two voting-based categories. The other drama series nominated for both the Best Drama Serial and Best Theme Song were 118, Crescendo, The Journey: Our Homeland and Tiger Mum.The series won 12 award catogeries,even sweeping every award it was nominated in Part 2,including Best Drama Serial and Best Theme Song.

The Dream Makers II became the second drama series to win all acting awards in Star Awards, after popular long-running drama Holland V. However, The Dream Makers II failed to clinch the "Top Rated Drama Series" and "Favourite Male Character", which it was not nominated.

Awards
Award Category Recipients (if any) Result
Star Awards 2016 Backstage Achievement Awards
红星大奖2016之幕后英雄颁奖礼
Best Director 最佳导演 Loh Woon Woon 罗温温 Won
Wong Foong Hwee 黄芬菲 Nominated
Best Screenplay 最佳剧本 Rebecca Leow 洪汐 Nominated
Best Programme Promo 最佳宣传短片 Kee Chee Wee 纪志威 Nominated
Best Cameraman (for Drama Programmes)
最佳戏剧摄影
Tommy Lee Heng Soon 李兴顺 Nominated
Best Editing for Drama Programme
最佳戏剧剪接
Simon Poon 潘耀东 Won
Joyce Teo 张必芳 Nominated
Steven Lee 李明辉 Nominated
Star Awards 2016 Show 2 红星大奖2016 下半场 Best Theme Song 最佳主题曲 (《终于》) Kit Chan 陈洁仪 Won
Young Talent Award 青苹果奖 Damien Teo 张值豪 Won
Best Supporting Actor 最佳男配角 Edwin Goh 吴劲威 Nominated
Zhang Zhenhuan 张振寰 Won
Best Supporting Actress 最佳女配角 Julie Tan 陈欣淇 Won
Best Actor 最佳男主角 Romeo Tan 陈罗密欧 Nominated
Qi Yuwu 戚玉武 Won
Best Actress 最佳女主角 Jeanette Aw 欧萱 Won
Rui En 瑞恩 Nominated
Zoe Tay 郑惠玉 Nominated
Best Drama Serial 最佳电视剧 Won
Star Awards 2016 Post-show Party
红星大奖2016庆功宴
Favourite Female Character 最喜爱女角色 Jeanette Aw 欧萱 Won
Rui En 瑞恩 Nominated
Huang Biren 黄碧仁 Nominated
Favourite Onscreen Couple (Drama)
最喜爱荧幕情侣
Qi Yuwu 戚玉武
Rui En 瑞恩
Nominated
Qi Yuwu 戚玉武
Jeanette Aw 欧萱
Won
Zhang Zhenhuan 张振寰
Julie Tan 陈欣淇
Nominated
London Choco Roll Happiness Award
London Choco Roll 最佳开心果奖
Romeo Tan 陈罗密欧 Won
Fame Awards 2016
星光大奖2016
Best Actor in a Leading Role 最佳男主角 Qi Yuwu 戚玉武 Pending
Best Actor in a Supporting Role 最佳男配角 Edwin Goh 吴劲威 Pending

See also

References

  1. 展望2015年四方盒:本地剧有何看头?
  2. 2.0 2.1 Ch 8 The Dream Makers 2 Trailer – Youtube
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