A Family for Joe: Story, Cast and Series Facts

Story and premise

Who says you can't pick your relatives? Meet four kids who did... Veteran actor Robert Mitchum stars as the man the four Bankston kids call "Grandpa Joe." But that wasn't always his name. And he didn't know the Bankston children at all -until they found him. You see, Chris, Mary, Nick and little Holly Bankston were recently orphaned, and with no adult to care for them, the courts threatened to split them up and place them in foster homes. Desperate situations call for desperate measures, so the four shrewd kids selected a crusty old homeless person -- Joe -- and turned him into their long-lost "grandfather." In return for food, shelter and clothing, "Grandpa Joe" would agree to keep up the charade and everyone would be happy -- kids, court and Grandpa. But what starts out as a good "deal" quickly turns into more than they all bargained for. The children soon realize they need more strict guidance than they had imaged. Joe discovers that, in addition to adjusting to life in a comfortable house instead of a cardboard box, that for the first time in his life, being a "family man" is truly something worthwhile.

Series details

• Title: A Family for Joe
• Format: Scripted
• Language: English
• Genres: Drama, Comedy, Family
• Premiere date: 1990-02-25
• Final broadcast date listed: 1990-08-19
• Status in TVmaze: Ended
• Network listed by TVmaze: NBC
• Network country: United States
• Typical episode runtime: 30 minutes
• TVMaze ID: 34760
• IMDb ID: tt0098792
• TVDB ID: 75484

Cast and credited roles

• Robert Mitchum — Joe Whitaker
• Jessica Player — Mary Bankston
• Barry Gordon — Roger Hightower
• Juliette Lewis — Holly Bankston
• Maia Brewton — Holly Bankston
• Ben Savage — Chris Bankston
• Jarrad Paul — Chris Bankston
• David Lascher — Nick Bankston
• Chris Furrh — Nick Bankston

Seasons in the TVmaze catalogue

• Season 1: premiered 1990-02-25; final listed air date 1990-08-19.

Source and licence

Adapted from A Family for Joe on TVmaze. The synopsis is reproduced as plain text; catalogue facts, cast and season records are selected and reformatted. This adapted text is available under CC BY-SA 4.0, following the TVmaze API licence. Network and web-channel credits identify the service listed in this source; they do not establish current streaming availability.