Schue - Reception

Reception

The Chicago Tribune's Maureen Ryan opined following Glee's pilot episode: "Casting Matthew Morrison as Will Schuester was a wise move; the actor not only has a sweet voice but a hangdog hopefulness that gives a needed anchor to the show's more satirical elements." In contrast, Tom Shales for the Washington Post criticized Morrison as Will, writing: "Morrison is definitely not gleeful and doesn't seem particularly well equipped to be a high-school impresario; as pipers go, he's not even marginally pied." Robert Lloyd for the Los Angeles Times commented on the show's early episodes that the adult characters "tend more to caricature than character", stating that by contrast, "Will, as the show's only normal person over the age of 18, seem a little drab". However, he noted that Will "comes alive when singing and dancing", citing his "exuberant" performance of "Gold Digger" in the episode "Showmance".

Reviewing the episode "The Rhodes Not Taken", Mike Hale of the New York Times commented on Will's actions in having former member April Rhodes (Kristin Chenoweth) re-instated in the glee club: "It's now time to wonder when the show will stop making Will behave in ways completely at odds with Mr. Morrison’s bland, gentle performance. (Or, conversely, when Mr. Morrison will start playing him the way he's written.)" Mandi Bierly for Entertainment Weekly praised Morrison's acting in the episode "Vitamin D", writing: "Matthew Morrison communicates so much with his eyes. There's a softness and a longing in them that I’m always surprised Emma matches." Eric Goldman for IGN enjoyed Morrison's music performances in the episode "Mash-Up", commending: "I have to hand it to Matthew Morrison for just going for it in these sequences. There is of course something completely dorky about seeing this guy perform these songs, but Morrison infuses Will with such enjoyment in what he's doing, he completely sells it. And yes, the guy can dance."

Liz Pardue of Zap2it praised Morrison's acting in "Mattress", calling him "beyond fantastic" during the confrontation between Will and Terri. Bobby Hankinson of the Houston Chronicle wrote that he "was glad to see Will react with the appropriate level of rage", but felt that the scene became too tense, leaving him almost feeling bad for Terri. Raymund Flandez of the Wall Street Journal wrote that he was happy to see the "convoluted" fake pregnancy storyline end, commenting that it had seemed unreal to him from the outset as "Will Schue doesn’t strike me as a guy who misses much of anything. The covered pregnancy storyline makes a mockery of his instincts and intelligence." Aly Semigran of MTV praised "a devastated Matthew Morrison" for "nail just what a scary, sad, and life-altering moment that ." Gerrick Kennedy of the Los Angeles Times commended: "Matthew Morrison showed another dimension to Will, and did a remarkable job doing so. There was anger and anguish all intertwined in this bitter and broken shell of a man. And he played it well enough where you feared for Terri."

Following the broadcast of the mid-season finale episode "Sectionals", in which Will and Emma kiss, Goldman commented: "Schue and Emma finally coming together was very hard to not feel good about, even though you know it just won't be that easy when the show returns". Pardue was impressed with Will for leaving Terri, and called the kiss between Will and Emma "romantic" commenting that it made her "heart happy". Dan Snierson of Entertainment Weekly wrote that although there was satisfaction in the episode ending on the kiss, it may have been "more intriguing" to conclude with Will finding Emma's office empty, questioning whether it was too soon for the two of them to begin a relationship.

After the second season episode "The Rocky Horror Glee Show", many critics objected to Will's characterization. Todd VanDerWerff of The A.V. Club wrote that his storyline with Emma "misplac what made either of the characters enjoyable in the first place", and IGN's Robert Canning—who otherwise enjoyed the episode, and rated it 8.5/10—observed that Will was presented as being selfish and a "terrible educator", in contrast to his former role as the moral center of the show. Lisa de Moraes of the Washington Post initially found the focus on the adults a welcome change, but felt their storyline rapidly became convoluted. . Anthony Benigno of the Daily News liked Will less as the episode progressed, and deemed it overall, "Creepy, vaguely uncomfortable, in slightly poor taste but well-intentioned, and ultimately, thoroughly entertaining to watch for reasons I can't quite put into words." CNN's Lisa Respers France actually enjoyed the episode for the additional depth it brought to Will and his feelings for Emma.

In April 2012, the staff of Entertainment Weekly named Will one of the "20 Most Annoying TV Characters Ever". Marc Snetiker wrote that he had "the intrigue of a blank chalkboard and the personality of a pair of pleated khakis", and sometimes made "things just seem a little less gleeful."