Ryan's Hope: An Oral History of Daytime's Groundbreaking Soap

A behind-the-scenes look at the show that changed daytime drama, an in-depth, intimate and entertaining cultural history, told in the words of its cast, crew, and creators.

From the opening scene of its first episode, in which Mary Ryan walks jauntily down a New York City street to her family’s neighborhood bar, it was clear that Ryan’s Hope would be unlike every daytime soap that had come before. Indeed, from 1975 to 1989, the Emmy Award-winning ABC TV serial drew viewers into the world of ...