Ryan and his actress daughter are trying to patch up their relationship despite 25 years of estrangement and an ugly war of words.
And they are planning to allow the world to see their efforts by making it part of a new reality TV show, Ryan and Tatum: The O'Neals.
The show is one of the first to be announced for OWN, the new cable network venture of Oprah Winfrey that launches on January 1.
The O'Neals are not the only famous family laying it on the line for reality TV and Oprah.
Another show announced for Oprah's channel is The Judds, which will follow mother-and-daughter country music duo Naomi and Wynonna Judd as they prepare for their first tour together in a decade.
The third reality series announced will be Carson-Nation, featuring Queer Eye for the Straight Guy fashion expert Carson Kressley as he travels to small towns 'to transform lives'.