Following Chris' departure in 1996, the show's publicists received constant fanmail asking for his return. Chris received negative backlash upon his return in 2000 for not showing the same characteristics as he had when he left and for being "boring" and no longer a "rogue". However, in 2013, Chris' return was listed as the shows best ever character return by the "Shortland Street" website. The 2012 storyline that saw Chris stalked and manipulated by an ex patient Hayley O'Neill (Michelle Blundell) and concluded in him being framed for her murder, was named by Lydia Jenkin of "The New Zealand Herald" as one of the soap's best story lines. The 2013 storyline which saw Chris deal with son, Phoenix Raynor's (Geordie Holibar) teenage angst, was criticised by a television critic who believed the trouble Phoenix was getting into was, "not interesting enough trouble for me to really care".