Ever since his arrival in 2006, Shortland Street’s Dr TK Samuels has witnessed his cousin be blown up in a car bomb, watched two of his wives die, survived every serial killer that’s come his way - and gone through one of the most drastic haircuts in New Zealand TV history.
Now, after 17 years on the street, it appears that the soap opera’s second longest-running character may be about to be killed off.
After surviving cancer over the last year, TK - portrayed by Benjamin Mitchell - was ready to leave the hospital behind for a new job with a hopefully smaller death rate for its staff. Instead, he was the last person shot in an active shooter storyline that dominated the show last week, leaving him on death’s door and requiring surgery, despite his fellow doctors struggling to keep him stable.
Left on life support, a discovery on Tuesday night’s episode saw the staff and his wife, Cece, learn that TK had an advanced directive on file that requested he not be kept on life support.
After initial protests from Cece and niece Esther, Wednesday night’s episode ended with them accepting that it was TK’s wishes to be taken off life support, and Cece telling Esther “We’re going to get everyone here so they can say goodbye. Let him rest in peace”.
