The Dream Job

''The Dream Job'' (Chinese: 绝世好工) is a Singaporean drama produced and telecast on Mediacorp Channel 8. The show aired at 9pm on weekdays and had a repeat telecast at 8am the following day. The series stars Shaun Chen, Jeanette Aw, Rebecca Lim, Zhang Zhenhuan, Ian Fang and Hong Kong veteran actor, Hugo Ng, as the main cast. The show is Channel 8 mid year blockbuster for 2016. The Series is repeated at 5.30pm on weekdays in 2017, 4.30pm on weekends in 2019 and 7.30am on weekends in 2021.

Plot

Many people harbour the hope of a "dream job", one that pays well, offer great benefits, and with a boss who treats them like his own. A television commercial pops up, advertising three "exceptional job positions" – to act as the children of and help in the business of a mysterious wealthy businessman, Zhang Qingdong (Hugo Ng). Not only does this job draws a high salary, it also offers expensive cars and life in a mansion with servants at their beck and call. This of course attracted many applications but the lawyer Li Junfeng (Shaun Chen) is hired to coordinate the employment decided on a financial advisor Cheng Huishan (Jeanette Aw) to be the second daughter, a nurse Jiang Xinya (Rebecca Lim) to be the third daughter, and a model-actor Lin Zijie (Ian Fang) as the youngest son.

The mysterious man turns out to be the boss of an established horticultural enterprise. The three children are introduced to an "older brother" Zhang Lixing ( Zhang Zhenhuan) and the four strangers work to live amicably together to please their boss. However, the lawyer in charge of them appears to be sowing discord among the siblings, leading them to wonder what his true intentions were.

The mystery boss had affairs with several women who bore him offspring. Now an old and lonely man, he longs to find and reunite with his flesh and blood through this job offering. But will this end up as a futile effort, or will he be able to reunite with his children?

Cast

Main cast

Supporting cast

Cameo appearance

Development

First announced in December 2015, the drama series features a strong story plot by maestros behind Hong Kong's mega-hit and award-winning drama ''Heart of Greed'', Lee Ji-wah and Suen Hou Hou. Targeted to reach an extensive audience from family, working women to Professionals, Managers, Executives and Businessmen (PMEBs), the publicity for the drama will be on multi-platforms from teaser recruitment ads, on-ground Recruitment Roadshow, Toggle microsite coupled with social media activation, launch trailers on radio channels, Press Conference and Meet and Greet. Major sponsors include Subway, Daikin, Mama Magica and Simmons.

Imaging sessions were done in the month of December 2015. New daddy Shaun Chen plays a lawyer who sets out to take revenge against a father he grew up hating. This is his first role after his Star Awards 2015 Best Actor win, not before he completed filming '' The Journey: Our Homeland'', and his second onscreen couple collaboration with Best Actress Rebecca Lim, after '' The Dream Makers''. On the other hand, Jeanette Aw plays an ambitious, driven career woman, which was different from the other roles she has portrayed over the years. In a Toggle interview, she said, "I used to play characters with gentle exteriors but tough personalities, but for Huishan it’s the opposite. She doesn’t display her weaknesses or tell anyone of the difficulties she faces." Hong Kong veteran actor, Hugo Ng, who played in Singaporean dramas ''Takeover'' and ''Men of Valour'' in the 1980s, returns to Singapore screens for the drama, playing a wealthy businessman who hires the characters of Aw, Rebecca Lim and Ian Fang as his son and daughters. He and his family returned to Singapore, as his son will be enlisted for National Service the following year.

The drama held its soft launch on 26 January 2016, one month after filming commenced. Hugo Ng, Shaun Chen, Jeanette Aw, Rebecca Lim, Zhang Zhenhuan, Ian Fang, Aileen Tan, Pan Lingling, Romeo Tan, Sheila Sim, Somaline Ang, Brandon Wong, Bonnie Loo and Chen Tianwen were present at the event. The cast also shared their first jobs at the launch. The production crew and cast (Shaun Chen, Aw, Lim and Zhang), together with the Toggle reporting crew, head to Perth on 18 March for a week of filming. Toggle made live reports throughout their stint. The cast also provided their experiences while filming for the show on Fridays, beginning from 20 May. Back in Singapore, filming for Cheng Huishan and Zhang Lixing (played by Aw and Zhang)'s wedding was on 28 March. Shaun Chen disclosed that his family "may attend Star Awards 2016", and he is jam-packed with filming commitments - he might fly to Taiwan to film a movie in April, before returning to star in ''Hero'' the following month, also starring Chen Hanwei and Jesseca Liu. Filming wrapped up in April 2016.

A press conference was held at Swissôtel The Stamford on 21 June 2016. Hugo Ng, Shaun Chen, Rebecca Lim, Ian Fang, Aileen Tan, Pan Lingling, Romeo Tan, Sheila Sim, Somaline Ang, Bonnie Loo and Chen Tianwen attended the conference. Notably absent were Jeanette Aw, who was away on a holiday, and Zhang Zhenhuan, who was filming ''Legal Eagles'' in Malaysia. A meet-and-greet session was held on 25 June at Changi City Point. Ng and Pan were not present at the event, but Wong, who was also absent from the conference, joined the other nine. The first 150 audience to form the queue for the event got to receive an autographed poster and a goodie bag each.

Original Sound Track (OST)

Awards & Nominations

Star Awards 2017

''The Dream Job'' is up for 9 nominations.

The other drama serials that are nominated for Star Awards 2017 are ''Hero'', '' C.L.I.F. 4'', '' Fire Up'' and '' You Can Be an Angel 2''.

The other drama serials that are nominated for Best Theme Song are '' You Can Be an Angel 2'', '' Eat Already?'', '' Life - Fear Not'' and '' If Only I Could''.

It won 3 out of 9 nominations.

See also

*List of MediaCorp Channel 8 Chinese drama series (2010s)
* List of ''The Dream Job'' episodes

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Dream Job, The
Singapore Chinese dramas
2016 Singaporean television series debuts
2016 Singaporean television series endings
Television shows set in Singapore
Television shows set in Perth, Western Australia
Channel 8 (Singapore) original programming