When the fifth series began in 2003, critics welcomed its end. Paul Hoggart wrote in "The Times" that the flashback and fantasy scenes were becoming so overused on television that their use in "Cold Feet" was less surprising than it was in 1998. In "Scotland on Sunday", Helen Stewart lamented the loss of Fay Ripley and Jenny's replacement by "the bland but international crossover-friendly Jo, [...] who is sufficiently pointless to be dismissed even by her fellow characters as 'not as good as Jenny'." Stewart also criticised Hermione Norris's acting and Karen for being a "spoon-faced moaner". A brief article on the MediaGuardian website described a "revisionist backlash" as critics' negative opinions of the series contrasted with the positive reaction that greeted it in 1998.