Well I can't believe I have never seen this thread before!
Ryan's Hope is truly one of my favorite soap operas of all time. I got hooked on SoapNet at somepoint, and still enjoy the show. I always watch it, should i be up at 5AM, and I often times TiVoe it.
I really like the family elements of the show. The interactions, and family dramatic elements, is what appealed to me. The theme of working class people in America is something I enjoy, perhaps only because it is so drastically different from what is on today. Nonetheless, the show is great.
And for those that call it slow moving, I have to agree and disagree at the same time. While the show is certainly a lot more slow moving than today's soaps, it is something I almost relish. The fact that the plot lines move on slower always allowed, at least for me, the dramatic elements to build up. Stretching the story out and having it move slower allowed the plots to overlap and layer upon each other, in a way that encanvased the entire show and had you yearning and thinking of how it would end. And for me, that just built up the emotional connection I had with the plots/characters, and I love it.
I still watch it on SOAPnet and a lot on YouTube as well.