18 April 2016 (2016-04-18) – 10 June 2017 (2017-06-10)
Ode to Joy (simplified Chinese: 欢乐颂; traditional Chinese: 歡樂頌) is a 2016 Chinese 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] The 3rd[2] and 4th[3] season were released in 2022 and 2023 respectively. The main characters and their actors have been changed from Season 3.
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.
31 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. Her lonely childhood as an orphan and battle with a hereditary mental disorder fills her life with worry.
30 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 puts great importance on money and superficial needs whilst battling her insecurities.
24 years old; daughter of a rich businessman. She is honest, sassy and fierce. Despite being raised in a complex family. Qu Xiaoxiao is caring, she is a rose with thorns, making people love her and hate her at the same time.
23 years old; a regular employee who comes to Shanghai from a small city to seek better endeavours. She is straightforward and simple, but she also has a bad temper. Her impulsiveness gets hers into sticky situations.
22 years old; an intern at a global top 500 company who strives to catch up with her fellow peers due to her inferior educational background. Coming from an academic family, she is quiet, introverted and gentle. As she enters the workplace and meets different people, Guan Juner starts to question her identity and aspirations.
A 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. However, he made a mistake trying to resolve her personal problems that their relationship ends up falling apart.
A chief physician at a renowned hospital known for his exemplary educational 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 until he realizes they want to be exclusive.
A 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 second boyfriend.
Zhang Lu
Wang Baichuan
Main
A 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 Haochen
Ying Qin
Guest
Main
A 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 once he finds out that Yingying isn't a virgin.
A rising musician in his early twenties. He was expelled from his highschool in his teenage years and as a result he never went to University and is uneducated. He meets Guan Ju'er after a misunderstanding between him and Yingying. He later becomes Guan Juner's boyfriend.
Extended
Family members
Actor
Role
Appearance
Description
1
2
Su Shenghua
He Yunli
Guest
Andy's grandfather who passes away.
Ding Yongdai
Wei Guoqiang
Regular
Andy's father.
Dai Meihong
Andy's mother
Guest
Shi Yunpeng
Xiao Ming
Regular
An dy's brother who suffers from a mental disorder.
Zhang Naihua
Fan Shengmei's father
Regular
He was diagnosed with a sickness and as a result Fan Shengmei had to sell her brother's house.
Kang Junzhi
Fan Shengmei's mother
Regular
She is always biased towards Fan Shengmei's brother thus always begging Fan Shengmei to help her brother and his wife.
Yue Yang
Fan Shengying
Regular
He is a Fan Shengmei's brother who is a troublemaker who ownes money to a lot of people. He is constantly asking for money from his sister.
Zhao Qianzi
Fan Shengmei's sister-in-law
Regular
Fan Shengying's wife
Yang Yicheng
Lei Lei
Regular
Fan Shengmei's nephew and Fan Shengying's son.
Wang Yongquan
Qu Xiaoxiao's father
Regular
A rich business man. He and his wife disagree on matters regarding money.
Mu Liyan
Qu Xiaoxiao's mother
Regular
She is a straightforward women who cares and looks out for her daughter.
Guo Xiaoran
Qu Lianjie
Regular
Qu Xiaoxiao's older half-brother. A rich man with many relationships including Fan Shengmei.
Feng Hui
Qiu Yingying's father
Regular
Yan Jingyao
Qiu Yingying's mother
Regular
Tan Xihe
Guan Juner's father
Regular
Liu Mintao
Guan Juner's mother
Regular
She is always advising her daughter to look for a boyfriend and openly discusses the disadvantages Guan Juner and Xie Tong's relationship have after figuring out he did not go to University.
She disapproved of Andy and Bao Yifan's relationship at first but has a change of heart after she was admitted to the hospital.
Chen Jin
Zhao Qiping's mother
Regular
Cai Gang
Wang Baichuan's father
Regular
Li Xiaoyan
Wang Baichuan's mother
Regular
She disapproves of Fan Shengmei and Wang Baichuan's relationship due to Fan Shengmei's complicated family matters and believed she would be a burden to her son.
Cao Yi
Ying Qin's father
Regular
Yang Kun
Ying Qin's mother
Regular
She originally disapproved of Qiu Yingying and Ying Qin's relationship, but approves it after an incident with Yin Qin's ex-fiancée.
Others
Actor
Role
Appearance
Description
1
2
Zhang Xiaoqian
Yao Bin
Regular
Qu Xiaoxiao's good friend. A rich boy who loves to party.
Wang Wenshi
Lan Lan
Regular
One of Qu Xiaoxiao's entourage.
Hu Yijing
Kong Kong
Regular
One of Qu Xiaoxiao's entourage.
Chen Muyang
Chief Bai
Guest
Qiu Yingying's deceiving ex-boyfriend and colleague. He planned on playing Qiu Yingying and tried to falsely report Fan Shengmei to the police for destroying his property. He also tried to prevent Yingying from working correctly at the office, they both eventually get laid off after Yingying exposes his misdeeds. He does encounter her again when they were both looking for jobs, but her slaps her and storms off and she publicly accused him of being evil.
Yu Wentong
Yan Luming
Guest
Tan Zongming's good friend.
Wang Hong
Lin Jing
Regular
Guan Juner's senior and pursuer.
Liu Lin
Xiu Yuan
Regular
Hospital director who helps take care of Xiao Ming.
Li Kewei
Liu Siming
Regular
An Di's employee. A careless and scatter-brained man who focuses more on investing in stocks than on work.
Li Shuai
Guan Dayu
Regular
An Di's employee.
Yuan Yuan
Zhang Lili
Regular
An Di's employee.
Sui Yumeng
Mi Xue'er
Regular
Guan Juner's fellow intern.
Zhu Mengyao
Xiao Ye
Regular
Guan Juner's fellow intern.
Li Xueting
Ah Guan Nan
Guest
Qu Xiaoxiao's former classmate. She wanted to seduce Qi Dian, and was jealous of his relationship with An Di thus she framed An Di to be a third party. She was eventually exposed and was threatened to publicly apologize by Qu Xiaoxiao.
Wei Wei
Xiao Nan
Guest
A debtor who extorted hospital bills from Fan Shengmei.
Johnny Chen
Chen Jiakang
Guest
Fan Shengmei's admirer.
Jin Zehao
Shu Zhan
Guest
Guan Juner's matchmaking partner.
Lu Ling
Mrs. Wei
Guest
Wei Guoqiang's wife. She accused An Di of having an affair with her husband due to being unaware that An Di was her husband's daughter and slapped An Di as well as contact Bao Yifan's mom to further push An Di in a corner.
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.[4] 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.[5] 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.[6]
Conversely, the series has also been criticized for encouraging the worship of wealth and leading audiences to become immersed in a world of pure illusion.[citation needed] The second season of the drama was also criticized for its repetitive plot, merely having a rating of 5.3 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 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.[citation needed]
Ratings
First season
Broadcast date
Episode
Zhejiang TV CSM52 ratings
Dragon TV CSM52 ratings
Ratings(%)
Audience share (%)
Rank
Ratings (%)
Audience share(%)
Rank
2016.4.18
1-2
0.492
1.43
12
0.567
1.64
9
2016.4.19
3-4
0.612
1.70
10
0.729
2.01
7
2016.4.20
5-6
0.580
1.61
10
0.780
2.16
7
2016.4.21
7-8
0.593
1.71
11
0.753
2.15
7
2016.4.22
9-10
0.808
2.25
8
0.844
2.33
7
2016.4.23
11
0.926
2.72
4
0.984
2.89
3
2016.4.24
12-13
0.885
2.54
4
1.102
3.05
3
2016.4.25
14-15
0.897
2.58
4
0.983
2.86
2
2016.4.26
16-17
0.912
2.58
7
0.993
2.79
4
2016.4.27
18-19
0.919
2.67
5
1.040
3.01
3
2016.4.28
20-21
0.826
2.43
7
0.962
2.82
5
2016.4.29
22-23
0.976
2.84
3
1.126
3.24
1
2016.4.30
24
0.833
2.61
5
0.862
2.71
4
2016.5.01
25-26
0.913
2.9
3
1.29
3.92
1
2016.5.02
27-28
1.262
3.514
2
1.513
4.205
1
2016.5.03
29-30
1.236
3.590
4
1.383
4.020
2
2016.5.04
31-32
1.298
3.801
2
1.524
4.474
1
2016.5.05
33-34
1.304
3.791
3
1.672
4.854
1
2016.5.06
35-36
1.349
3.95
2
1.748
5.1
1
2016.5.07
37
1.274
3.76
2
1.68
4.96
1
2016.5.08
38-39
1.11
3.32
3
1.928
5.54
1
2016.5.09
40-41
1.258
3.562
3
1.930
5.451
1
2016.5.10
42
1.331
3.69
2
1.972
5.48
1
Average ratings
0.982
1.233
Second season
Broadcast date
Dragon TV ratings
Zhejiang TV ratings
Ratings
Audience share
Rank
Ratings
Audience share
Rank
2017-5-11
1.342
4.438
2
1.549
5.122
1
2017-5-12
1.351
4.49
2
1.925
6.4
1
2017-5-13
1.224
4.22
2
1.446
5
1
2017-5-15
1.352
4.46
2
1.517
5.019
1
2017-5-16
1.438
4.94
2
1.518
5.225
1
2017-5-17
1.397
4.842
1
1.396
4.833
2
2017-5-18
1.34
4.637
2
1.464
5.065
1
2017-5-19
1.43
4.81
2
1.489
5.05
1
2017-5-20
1.261
4.45
2
1.372
4.83
1
2017-5-21
1.597
5.21
2
1.694
5.52
1
2017-5-22
1.549
4.927
2
1.648
5.255
1
2017-5-23
1.582
5.18
2
1.63
5.333
1
2017-5-24
1.592
5.31
1
1.563
5.2
2
2017-5-25
1.516
5.32
1
1.495
5.24
2
2017-5-26
1.558
5.36
1
1.555
5.4
2
2017-5-27
1.36
4.9
1
1.271
4.63
2
2017-5-28
1.495
5.17
2
1.542
5.33
1
2017-5-29
1.583
5.53
2
1.611
5.61
1
2017-5-30
1.688
5.626
2
1.694
5.648
1
2017-5-31
1.645
5.514
2
1.798
6.017
1
2017-6-1
1.647
5.695
2
1.667
5.771
1
2017-6-2
1.681
5.62
2
1.803
6.05
1
2017-6-3
1.331
4.58
2
1.742
6
1
2017-6-4
1.986
6.31
1
1.919
6.1
2
2017-6-5
1.955
6.323
1
1.705
5.519
2
2017-6-6
1.842
6.251
1
1.725
5.859
2
2017-6-7
1.824
6.361
1
1.608
5.6
2
2017-6-8
2.017
7.101
1
1.55
5.452
2
2017-6-9
1.904
6.168
1
1.695
5.811
2
2017-6-10
1.793
6.489
1
1.467
5.317
2
Highest ratings are marked in red, lowest ratings are marked in blue
