TK Samuels

Te Koha Samuels
Shortland Street character
Portrayed by	Benjamin Mitchell
Duration	2006—
First appearance	25 January 2006
Introduced by	Jason Daniel
Classification	Present; regular
Profile
Occupation	Head of Emergency Department at Shortland Street (2012—) Emergency Department consultant at Shortland Street (2006, 2009—) General Practitioner at Shortland Street (2006–09)
Home	The Samuels House
Family Mother Liz Arthur Wife Sarah Potts (2007–11) Daughters Matilda Potts Stepsons Daniel Potts Grandmothers Mareikura Samuels Uncles Wiremu Samuels Mitch Samuels Aunts Kuini Samuels Dottie Samuels Miri Samuels Nephews Tane Samuels Wiremu Potae First cousins Huia Samuels

Te Koha "TK" Samuels is a fictional character in New Zealand's longest running soap opera Shortland Street, played by actor Benjamin Mitchell since early 2006.

Creation and casting

The character of Huia Samuels' (Nicola Kawana) cousin TK was envisioned in a time of immense change for Shortland Street; the exit of the soap's only Pacific Islander, Vinnie Kruse (Pua Magasiva), saw producers drastically cut down on other nationality groups so as to present a culturally proportional cast.^[1] This included the axing of three of the shows Māori characters, Tama (David Wikaira-Paul, Shannon (Amber Cureen) and Rangimarie Hudson (Mia Cureen-Poko).^[1][2] Former "Mr. New Zealand"^[3] Benjamin Mitchell had been preparing himself for a role on the soap for three years, stating: "I really want to be on the street. It seems to be everyone takes you seriously on there."^[4] In 2005 he finally auditioned for the show, aiming for the part of the new doctor, TK Samuels. He decided that if he did not win the role, he would give up on acting and pursue another career.^[5] Although he believed he had done poorly,^[6] after several takes Mitchell won the role and stated, "There will be a few people who go, 'I know that guy, my gosh he's on Shortland Street, I didn't know he was doing this...last time I saw him he was punching bags in his garage trying to be the champ of the world.'"^[4] In 2005 producer Jason Daniel, promised a "fresh dynamic" would be arriving to the show with the introduction of several new characters, such as "spunky young doctor" TK.^[7] TK made his debut on the episode airing 26 January 2006. Benjamin enjoyed the freedom the role created for him, "Your creativity is really heightened; you produce results faster. That’s a great thing that working here teaches you."^[5] Following the introduction of TK, the Māori presence on the show was equally measured for the television network's charter to portray Māori perspectives.^[8]

Storylines

TK arrived to the hospital in 2006 to greet his cousin Huia (Nicola Kawana) and the immature doctor quickly gained a job in the Emergency Department much to the annoyance of Sarah Potts (Amanda Billing). TK also got a job in another clinic and briefly dated the receptionist Holly (Miriama McDowell) before he realised he was in love with Sarah. After moving to the GP clinic he and Sarah got together and married in 2007, shortly after TK reconciled with his estranged mother Liz (Rima Te Wiata). TK and Sarah's relationship turned sour when Sarah ditched the honeymoon but they soon decided to have children. TK supported Sarah through her diagnosis of multiple sclerosis and their happiness at Sarah's pregnancy was short lived when she was forced to have a termination after the fetus proved to be ill. TK moved back to ED and with the ever looming problem of children in the relationship, Sarah left TK and he had a brief rebound fling with Brooke Freeman (Beth Allen). TK went on to date Tania Jeffries (Faye Smythe) and Jennifer Mason (Sara Wiseman) but as 2010 ended, TK and Sarah readmitted their love and had a one night stand before Sarah left Ferndale.

In 2011 TK was attracted to the new nurse Roimata Ngatai (Shavaughn Ruakere) and they begin to start dating. However Sarah soon returned, pregnant with his child and hoping to get TK back but he denied her request but was willing to help with her pregnancy. TK proposes to Roimata however the wedding was called off when TK went to help Sarah give birth to their daughter Matilda Mareikura "Tillie" Potts (Nathan Anderson). TK and Roimata later married in an unofficial ceremony just a week later. In 2012 TK accepted the role of head of the Emergency Department from Maxwell Avia (Robbie Magasiva). The hospital staff were shocked in November when Roimata was sexually assaulted and TK was continuously harassed by an anonymous attacker. The attacker drugged TK and he ended up running down Murray Cooper (Matthew Chamberlain), landing him a reckless driving charge. TK and Roimata soon discovered the attacker was Zac Smith (Mike Edward) and after he kidnapped Roimata for several days, he was arrested. TK and Roimata soon broke up after it turned out she was having an affair and he had brief romances with Harper Whitley (Ria Vandervis) and Emma Franklin (Amy Usherwood) before reconciling with Sarah after nearly 4 years but she soon leaves for Chicago putting their relationship on pause once again. It is also hinted that TK still loves Roimata and he became very distraught when he is the first to learn that Roimata died on the operating table after the Warner's batch explosion. He escorts Roimata to her final resting place.

Reception

TK has proved favorable to female fans and is now one of the most recognizable faces on the show.^[9] In 2008, a mother who was a huge fan of Shortland Street, named her child after the character.^[10] TK and his cousin Huia (Nicola Kawana), were portrayed as "middle class" Māori and fulfilled a certain demographic that had been left open after the departure of the Hudson family.^[11] At the time, besides the Samuels, the only two other Māori characters had very little to do with cultural issues. Eti Kawaka (Isaac Bell) was departing the soap and Jay Copeland's (Jaime Passier-Armtrong) storylines dealt more often with her sexuality. Because of this, the shows producers ensured TK and Huia appeared, "staunch" about who they were as Māori people.^[11] Reviewers predicted that how writers dealt with TK and Huia would directly affect the Māori audience share of Shortland Street.^[11] Following the murder of Huia in October 2006, the show came under criticism for its lack of Māori perspective, however producer Jason Daniel defended the move and assured the persecutors that TK remained as one of the shows most popular characters.^[12] During a speech at the show's 15th anniversary, the Prime Minister Helen Clark satirically suggested that the question of whether Sarah would marry TK was a major issue.^[13]

TK was well received by fans of the show, winning the award for "Favourite Male Character" in the Throng Shortland Street fan awards in 2006, 2009 and 2010.^[14][15][16] Upon joining the show, Mitchell was surprised at the fan's reaction to TK, "I had no idea of how intense it would be. People are going to know you- and just want more. Young girls- and young guys as well. I think they see TK as a character they can relate to because he’s a good dude."^[5] In the Ferndale Talk Best of 2013 awards, Mitchell was voted by fans as runner up for "Favourite Actor" and third place for "Hottest Male". TK and Sarah won "Favourite Couple" and fans also notably requested for TK and Sarah to remarry in 2014.^[17]

The conclusion to the 2011 90 minute episode which saw TK ditch Roimata at the altar to see his daughter's birth, only to end up saving Hunter (Lee Donoghue) from a car crash, were highly praised by reviewers.^[18][19] The love triangle between TK, Roimata and Sarah was listed by Television New Zealand as one of the top moments of the 2011 season.^[20] In 2013, Television New Zealand named TK and Sarah's reconciliation as the 7th best moment of the season.^[21]

References