Hope Runs Out for ‘Ryan’s Hope’ Soaper

From the time “Ryan’s Hope” premiered on July 7, 1975, the soap opera has kept its loyal viewers entertained with the struggles of the Ryans, an Irish-American family who never lost their faith in the American Dream.

On Friday, Jan. 13, 1989, “Ryan’s Hope” will leave the air, a victim of its time period on ABC’s daytime schedule.

“ ‘Ryan’s Hope’ has not been rejected by the audience,” said Jo Ann Emmerich, ABC’s vice president of daytime programming. “It has simply been unavailable to the viewers because of the continued diminishing of station clearances.”

What this means in laymen’s language is that many ABC affiliates have been preempting “Ryan’s Hope” to run local news. Some of them moved the soap to an early-morning slot; others simply didn’t broadcast it at all.

“Without sufficient stations to carry it, the program has become a victim of audience erosion,” Emmerich said. “We have done our best to keep ‘Ryan’s Hope’ on the air. Despite the falling ratings, there has been no stinting on talent in front of or behind the camera.”

Although the soap has never been what the network would consider a ratings blockbuster, “Ryan’s Hope” did fare extremely well during the late ‘70s and the early ‘80s. The series has won a total of 17 Daytime Emmy Awards over the years, including two as best daytime drama and six for outstanding writing.

Five original cast members will remain with the show to the end: Helen Gallagher, who won three Daytime Emmys for her role as Ryan, the clan matriarch; Bernard Barrow, who portrays the Ryan family patriarch, Johnny Ryan; Michael Levin, who plays Jack Fenelli; Ron Hale, who plays Roger Coleridge, and Ilene Kristen, whose character is Delia Reid Ryan Ryan Coleridge Crane. (Kristen did leave the show on two previous occasions, 1978 and again in 1983, but she has been back since 1986.)

Former “Ryan’s Hope” cast members who “graduated” to prime-time television include: Nell Carter (who played Ethel Green on the soap) of “Gimme a Break,” Gordon Thomson (Aristotle Benedict-White) of “Dynasty,” Ana Alicia (Alicia Nieves) of “Falcon Crest,” Daniel Hugh-Kelly (Frank Ryan) of “Hardcastle & McCormick,” and Catherine Hicks (Faith Coleridge) of “Tucker’s Witch.”

ABC’s informational series “Home” will be expanded to an hour to fill the “Ryan’s Hope” time slot.