A New Kind of Family
A New Kind of Family is an American sitcom that aired on ABC from September 1979 to January 1980. The series stars Eileen Brennan, Rob Lowe and Telma Hopkins. It is not to be confused with, nor is it related to, the series "Family", which aired concurrently on ABC. Synopsis. Eileen Brennan stars as Kit Flanagan, a widowed mother of three who shares a home with a divorced woman, Abby Stone (Gwynne Gilford), and her daughter Jill in an effort to save money. Halfway during the series' first season, it was pulled from the schedule  and re-tooled in an effort to boost ratings. The characters of Abby and Jill Stone were written out and new characters, Jess and Jojo Ashton (played by Telma Hopkins and Janet Jackson respectively), were added to the series. Despite the cast change, the show was cancelled in January 1980.