Jonathan McKenna

Jonathon McKenna
Kieren Hutchison as Jonathon McKenna (2011)
Shortland Street character
Portrayed by	Kieren Hutchison
Duration	1993–95, 1996, 2011
First appearance	19 October 1993
Last appearance	11 November 2011
Introduced by	Tony Holden (1993) Gavin Stawhan (1996) Steven Zanoski (2011)
Classification	Former; regular
Profile
Occupation	Surgeon
Jonathon as he appeared in 1994.
Father Michael McKenna Mother Alex McKenna Sisters Rachel McKenna Grandmothers May McKenna Uncles John Wilson Aunts Trish Wilson Michael's sister First cousins Waverley Harrison Stratford Wilson Amberley Wilson

Dr. Jonathon Alexander McKenna is a fictional character in the New Zealand soap opera Shortland Street. He is portrayed by Kieren Hutchison, who played the role in both recurring and regular stints throughout the 1990s, before returning for a six-month period during 2011.

Jonathon was created as the final installment to the recently expanded McKenna family unit; he was the son of the Shortland Street clinic's CEO, Michael McKenna (Paul Gittins). His initial storyline saw the character embark on a same-sex relationship with paramedic Jamie Forrest (Karl Urban) much to the outrage of his family and co workers. Jonathon appeared on a sporadic basis, making for 3 stints between 1993 and 1996, before returning again 15 years later. Other plot lines Jonathon was involved in include, several other same-sex relationships, dropping out of medical school, falling out with his parents and sister, having a HIV scare, developing blindness, and embarking on a relationship with a woman.

Jonathon is remembered as an "iconic" character, largely due to the impact his homosexual status had on the viewing public. He and boyfriend Jamie's kiss was the first same-sex kiss on prime time New Zealand television and was even edited largely due to the controversy at the time. His 2011 return was well received upon airing though his bisexual reclassification was criticized by fans.

To widen demographic audiences, producers ensured Shortland Street featured family units so that several key characteristics could be met (middle aged parents, teenage children). In mid-1992 it was decided to expand on the established character, Michael McKenna (Paul Gittins) (who had appeared since the show's first episode), by introducing his family. The character of Stuart Neilson (Martin Henderson) who featured as part of the original cast, had been planned to be depicted as gay, but the plans fell through and he was rewritten as heterosexual. It was decided that the character of Michael's son would fit the position. Kieren Hutchison auditioned for the role when he was 18 and eventually learned he had secured the role, much to his surprise as he considered his audition "shocking". He signed an initial 6-month contract. The job was not what he expected but he soon settled in and enjoyed working alongside screen sister, Angela Bloomfield (Rachel McKenna). Hutchison departed after the 6 months, but returned for several similarly lengthened stints. After leaving in 1995, Hutchison scored a return to the role in 1996 and was interested at how the character's storylines and dynamics had changed following the departure of his parents. Hutchison decided to take a break from the show in September 1996 so that he could film the television series, The Swiss Family Robinson. Hutchison and producers intended for Jonathon to return to the soap in 1997, but Hutchison decided against it and quit indefinitely.