Daddy Dearest (2016 TV series)


Daddy Dearest is a 2016 Hong Kong modern family comedy television drama produced by Poon Ka-tak for TVB, starring Johnson Lee, Jason Chan Chi-san and Mandy Wong as the main leads. It premiered on August 1, 2016, airing every Monday to Friday on Hong Kong's TVB Jade, Malaysia's Astro On Demand and Australia's TVBJ channels during its 8:30-9:30 pm timeslot, concluding August 26, 2016 with a total of 20 episodes.

Synopsis

Kuk Chi-keung is an absentee father who boasts to his son, Kuk Tui-nam, his busy life because of his important business meetings and huge deal making. However, Chi-keung is really just an ordinary real-estate agent who cares more about work than spending time with his son. His work is so important to him that he would rather cancel his parental visits with Tui-nam and use his personal time to socialize with his boss. Chi-keung's inability to keep promises to his son has left him in a strained relationship with his ex-wife and her fiancé who have to make excuses to spare Tui-nam from disappointment. When his ex-wife leaves Hong Kong to get married and go on a honeymoon, Tui-nam is left in Chi-keung's care for an extended period of time. Jealous that his son is growing closer to his new step-father, Chi-keung takes the task of being a responsible father seriously. However, not being used to taking care of his son has left Chi-keung often overlooking his son's needs and feelings.
After seeing his client, Ophelia Chu Lai-fa, a teacher at a learning center, teach Tui-nam how to do homework, Chi-keung decides to enroll Tui-nam in Ophelia's learning center instead of having Tui-nam tag along with him to work. When Ophelia and her landlord find out Chi-keung had doctored their rental lease in order to complete a sale, they file a complaint against Chi-keung. Due to his underhanded actions to complete a sale Tse-keung's real-estate license is suspended for 6 months. While under suspension, Chi-keung notices Ophelia's learning center struggling because she is too nice to her students by refusing to charge extra for overtime and collect tuition when a student cannot pay. After a teaching staff quits and threatens to take the learning centre's students with her, Ophelia asks Chi-keung, who is business minded, to advise her on how to save the learning center. Chi-keung instead suggests he become a business partner at her learning center. In exchange Ophelia advises Chi-keung on how to be a caring parent to Tui-nam, who she notices is often neglected due to his independence.
Marius Sheung Nim-shu is also an absentee father, but unlike Chi-keung, his long business trips take him away from his family. As an architect, his career takes him away from his family for months. However, he is always thinking of his family and can't wait to get back to them. Even though he is a loving dad to his kids, Marius's hectic work life causes him to miss out on important events in his children's life and getting both his daughter, Sheung Yat, and son, Sheung Yi, birthdays mixed up. After being lectured by his academic minded father, Marius becomes concerned for his son's academics. Marius requests time-off from work, but his boss depends on him and refuses to allow him any time-off, even suggesting Marius take his entire family with him on his next business trip. Feeling his son is more important, Marius quits his job and decides that for the next 6 months he will concentrate solely on finding the right school for his son.
Chi-keung and Marius first meet when the two fight for the same robotic toy for their sons. The two meet again when Marius joins Ophelia's learning center as a part-time tutor in order to help his son.

Cast

The Kuk family

The Chu family

The Sheung family

  • Pat Poon as Sheung Sun
  • Jason Chan Chi-san as Marius Sheung Nim-shu
  • Candice Chiu as Carrie Ho Lok-chi
  • Bianca Chan as Sheung Yat
  • Chan Pak-hei as '''Sheung Yi'''

Learning Center staff

  • Carat Cheung as Mak Ka-ka
  • Janice Shum as Teacher Si
  • Kenny Chan as Teacher Chan
  • Kanice Lau as Teacher Lam
  • Ice Chow as Teacher Yeung
  • Kimmi Tsui as Wing
  • So Lai Ming as '''Sa'''

Real-estate staff

  • Jerry Ku as Stone Sek Dong
  • Billy Cheung as Michael
  • Mandy Lam as Helen
  • Bob Cheung as Real-estate employee
  • Milkson Fong as '''Real-estate employee'''

Physical Therapy center

  • Henry Lo as Kwok Jo-hong
  • King Lam as Si Hing
  • Ceci So as Brenda Wong Fan-nuen
  • Kirby Lam as Lam Siu-ping
  • Alan Tam Kwan-lun as Hung Wing-leung
  • Joan Lee as '''To Kit-yee'''

Extended cast

  • Snow Suen as Bella Fung Yuet-na
  • Brian Burrell as Pacino
  • Toby Chan as Pat
  • Joe Junior as Mr. Kong
  • Lo Mang as Rocky
  • Adam Ip as Lee Seung-yau
  • Aaryn Cheung as Dave Lee Man-ko
  • Fanny Lee as '''Mrs. Cheung'''

Development

  • The costume fitting ceremony was held together on August 5, 2015, at 12:30 pm Tseung Kwan O TVB City Studio One.
  • The blessing ceremony was held on September 22, 2015, at 2:30 pm Tseung Kwan O TVB City Studio sixteen.
  • Daddy Dearest was originally scheduled to premiere on March 28, 2016, to take over TVB's 8:30-9:30 pm timeslot following after Short End of the Stick. The broadcast schedule was changed two weeks before the drama was to premiere with The Last Healer In Forbidden City premiering on March 28, 2016. Daddy Dearest was then pushed back to premiere after The Last Healer In Forbidden City on April 25, 2016.
  • Due to concerns with ratings, Daddy Dearest was pushed back further with My Dangerous Mafia Retirement Plan premiering on April 25, 2016, and Presumed Accidents premiering on May 30, 2016.
  • In June 2016, the series was pushed back for the fourth time to air on August 1 during TVB's 2016 Amazing Summer. The Chinese title was also changed from 爸B有話兒; literally "Daddy Has Something to Say" to 超能老豆; literally "Super Daddy".