High Hopes was a 1978 Canadian television soap opera that was shown on both Canadian and United States television, starring performers Bruce Gray and Dorothy Malone.
The series was produced by Y&R Associates, Ltd, in conjunction with DCA Productions, Incorporated, and was filmed in Toronto. It was broadcast in Canada weekday afternoons on CBC Television, and syndicated to US television stations. Canadian producer was Karen Hazzard. The show was initially directed by Bruce Minnix, and later by several Canadian directors, including Nigel Napier-Andrews. It was written by Bryan Barney, Mort Forer, Marian Waldman and Winifred Wolfe.
Gray headlined the show, playing the role of Dr. Neal Chapman, a psychiatrist/family counselor who lived and worked in Port Hamilton, a fictitious community located in Canada, and was also associated with Delaney College, Port Hamilton's institution of higher learning. Much of the action was set at either the college, or in his large home which also served as his office.
Neal was divorced from his former wife Helen (Candace O'Connor) and they (supposedly) had a grown daughter, Jessica, nicknamed Jessie (Marianne McIssac), a student at Delaney College, who lived with him. Also living in the Chapman house was his mother, Meg (Doris Petrie); Louise Bates (Jayne Eastwood) a Port Hamilton real estate agent who had sold Neal his house, and his close friend, Port Hamilton attorney Walter Telford (Colin Fox, Granville Van Dusen), who lived with his wife, Evelyn Telford (Deborah Turnbull). Walter, Evelyn, Louise and another person, Dr. Jean Bataille, were all tenants in Neal's home.
Neal also worked with Dr. Dan Girard (Jan Muszynski), a physician who worked at Port Hamilton's hospital.
Despite his numerous counseling appointments and work at the hospital, Neal also found time for romance. He was involved romantically with Louise and also with local television talk show host, Trudy Bowen (Barbara Kyle).