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Show 4 A 0 FAMILY jM, viewpoint by Brian Rose Are Soap Operas Just Hokum? Soap operas have a reputation for being one of the lowest forms of television, filled with overwrought over-wrought emotions, gossipy characters and endless suffering. This may have been true in the past, but lately washboard weepers have grown up. Soap operas are no longer afraid of controversy. Many programs now deal openly with topics like teenage alcoholism, unwed motherhood and the right to die. (For these and other reasons, many series are not suitable for younger viewers and screening is advised before allowing your children to watch them.) Soap operas also offer some of the most honest portraits of modern family life, and nowhere is this more true than on ABC's Emmy Award-winning daytime drama 'Ryan's Hope.' Now in its fourth year, 'Ryan's Hope' is a celebration of the joys and complications of keeping a large family together. At the center of the program are Johnny and Maeve Ryan, who own a neighborhood bar in New York City, and their four grown children Frank, a politician; Patrick, a doctor; Mary, a TV anchor-person; and Siobhan, a family counselor. The Ryans can occasionally be a fiery lot, but they also nourish and sustain one another. Johnny and Maeve's Irish Catholic background has guided their lives and provided their children with a strong ' sense of duty and generosity. But what makes 'Ryan's Hope' so special is the feeling of affection between its characters and the openness about the ways its families interact. The Ryan children often do things which disappoint their parents, but eventually, through trust and talking things out, both sides come to accept one another. As every family knows, there are many aspects to every problem, and 'Ryan's Hope' is particularly sensitive to letting us share each person's point of view. The difficulties the Ryans encounter are the same trials and tribulations many other tightly knit families face as the times change around them. Sometimes traditional morality collides with modern life, and one must give way to the other. Should the Ryans forget their religious beliefs and accept their son's divorce? Should they condone an extramarital relationship if there is love on both sides? It's not always easy to decide the right course to follow. Like the better daytime dramas, 'Ryan's Hope' understands this, and, in turn, helps us to understand the strengths and problems of con-temporary con-temporary family living. J ' Brian Rose teaches courses in television and soap opera at Bowling Green State University in Ohio. |