Dr. Autumn Fenner was the object of Ron’s affection on St. Denis Medical, and his crush was perfectly understandable—given that Dr. Fenner was played by actor and writer Enuka Okuma. TV viewers have seen Enuka in a number of high-profile shows recently, each time in a very different role, leaving very different impressions. And all of this added exposure is a great reminder of just how talented she’s always been.

St. Denis Medical Season 2, Episode 4, “Two Docs, One Conf” was a more traditional sitcom role for Enuka, as Ron had been attempting to cozy his way up to Dr. Fenner at various conferences for years. Enter the irrepressible Dr. Bruce Schweitz (the beautifully disastrous Josh Lawson), who spoiled Ron’s chances by constantly getting in the way. Audiences didn’t learn a ton about Dr. Fenner because of that, but it didn’t necessarily matter, because Enuka made the character naturally charming. The viewer liked her, so it made sense that Ron would really like her.

Almost as importantly, Enuka’s reactions to the chaos that unfolded around Autumn added even more to the episode. Even though her character wound up in the background, just seeing her expressions said a lot. Anyone who saw Workin’ Moms when the CBC comedy hit Netflix knows that she has comedic talent, but this was a chance for the wider US network TV audience to notice it. Who knows if St. Denis Medical will revisit Dr. Fenner, since Ron’s window with her seems to have slammed shut, but thanks to Enuka Okuma there’s enough depth to that character in a handful of scenes that the audience wants to see her again. And that’s been par for the course in her collection of recent guest spots—all of which have been delightfully different.

Earlier in 2025, Enuka guest-starred in HBO Max‘s Emmy-winning new medical drama The Pitt, playing a surrogate mother named Natalie Malone who ended up in the ER during the “5:00 P.M.” episode. This storyline didn’t flinch when it came to showing childbirth, but that wasn’t the only aspect worth talking about. It’s an added degree of difficulty to act when you’re confined to a hospital bed, and then when you’re supposed to be actively going through labor. There’s not a lot of room for character flourishes or great dialogue, though Natalie declaring “Fuck Beyonce” when the topic of the birthing playlist came up was definitely worth a laugh.

The Pitt was about creating a character in a limited space, with a limited amount of time. Natalie only appeared in about half the episode; in fact, her story was really a way for the writers to get to the bigger plot point of Dr. Heather Collins’ miscarriage. (It should be said that Tracy Ifeachor was also remarkable in conveying her own character’s emotions while Heather was helping Natalie deliver, and that it’s a shame Ifeacher isn’t returning to The Pitt next season.)

But fans of medical dramas usually don’t think much about the “case of the week” characters, and understandably so. Most of them are there, they serve a plot purpose, and then they’re gone. It’s always special when any actor is able to get viewers thinking about who that person is beyond what landed them in the hospital, and Enuka was able to do that in the role of Natalie. Not to mention that fake delivery still looked like a challenge to get through.

But her tour de force actually predated The Pitt. Audiences may not have realized that Enuka plays one of the most pivotal characters in Hulu’s even bigger hit series Paradise. She guest-starred in flashbacks as Dr. Teri Rogers-Collins, the wife of main character Xavier Collins (portrayed brilliantly by Sterling K. Brown). Audiences knew early on how extensively Teri’s death shaped Xavier as a character, and viewers are still shocked by the late-season reveal that she’s potentially alive—which is the entire jumping-off point for Season 2. A show needs a heavy hitter of an actor to make a cliffhanger that big mean something.

Because here’s the tightrope that Paradise was walking on: the figure of Teri (the myth of Teri, if you will) loomed large over the entire series, thanks to her significance to Xavier, and his being the central hero of the show. Her loss was transformative to him and drove him in many ways; it was the single biggest factor in creating the Xavier Collins that viewers knew and loved. Had the show revealed too much about Teri, or revealed her too early, it risked the character not living up to that myth. Whenever viewers finally saw Teri, she had to have just as much of an impact in the flesh as she did in the audience’s minds.

The wonderful thing that the Paradise creative team did, and that Enuka was able to beautifully realize, was making Dr. Teri Rogers-Collins a fully developed individual, even within the context of the one scene in “You Asked for Miracles” that served as her primary screen time in Season 1. That she chose to hyphenate her name is an immediate sign, both on and off-screen, that she is not solely considered by her marriage to Xavier. So many TV spouses don’t evolve beyond being part of the protagonist’s story; they often exist just to elucidate part of the hero’s character, or to serve a dramatic plot function when they’re hurt or upset.

Even though Teri was dead, Paradise‘s intricate structure meant that there was time to bring her to life. And creator Dan Fogelman and his team wanted to devote that time to giving her life. And they cast someone who built a very even rapport with Sterling K. Brown, so that the characters felt equal when they were together on screen. Of course they had the fun banter of TV couples but that episode painted a clear picture of who Teri was, what her point of view was, and why she and Xavier worked as a team. By the time audiences met Teri, by the time they felt her personality, it added to the vibrant world of Paradise. The audience understood why Xavier continued to mourn her, and they too found themselves hoping she was still alive—because the writers and the actor who portrayed her made her matter. The most exciting bit of Paradise Season 2 is waiting to find out if we will indeed see Teri again, and what that’s going to mean.

Of course, longtime fans still remember Enuka fondly as Officer and then Detective Traci Nash in Rookie Blue. And the success of Cobra Kai likely overshadowed her YouTube Red series Impulse, in which she starred as deputy sheriff Anna Hulce. She’s been a versatile actor her whole career—in addition to being a writer and director. Enuka has penned episodes of Rookie Blue and Workin’ Moms, and co-wrote the screenplay for the 2024 survival thriller Out Come the Wolves. There’s not a lot she can’t do, so it’s outstanding that the greater television world is taking more notice of Enuka Okuma. All that’s left is to get her front and center again in a show of her own.

St. Denis Medical airs Mondays at 8:00 p.m. ET/PT on NBC, while The Pitt and Paradise are streaming on HBO Max and Hulu respectively. Both series will return for Season 2 in 2026.

Article content is (c)2020-2025 Brittany Frederick and may not be excerpted or reproduced without express written permission by the author. Follow me on Twitter at @BFTVTwtr and on Instagram at @BFTVGram. For story pitches, contact me at tvbrittanyf@yahoo.com.