TV Reviews : ‘Hawking’s Universe’ an Engrossing PBS Hour

Just what is it about this guy Stephen Hawking?

Who would think an hourlong show about a diminutive theoretical physicist could be so engrossing? For that matter, who would think that Hawking’s “A Brief History of Time,” a probe of the nature of reality, could be such an enormous best seller, translated into more than 20 languages?

For those who read the book, “Professor Hawking’s Universe” (at 10 tonight on Channel 28), will be no surprise. For Stephen Hawking, heir to the Lucasian Chair of Mathematics at Cambridge University once held by Issac Newton, is one compelling dude--fascinating because of the clarity and precision of his mind, fascinating for the scope of his ideas.

Part of the fascination initially comes because of the limits of Hawking’s own physical universe. Hawking, 49, has battled Lou Gehrig’s disease for 27 years--the great mind cruelly trapped in a paralyzed body. But the viewer quickly forgets Hawking’s ailment as he explains his studies, and he shrugs it off: “Most of my work is just thinking. My disabilities don’t stop me; in a way, they just give me more time.”

His work? Nothing less than an attempt to explain everything --by uniting the two great, seemingly incompatible theories of physics: quantum mechanics and general relativity. “If we could develop a complete theory of the universe,” says Hawking, “we could in principle predict everything.”

Perhaps that’s why Hawking is so compelling: His work delves into our nature, our reality and, ultimately, our reason for being.

“Universe” does have some problems with pacing and material, but it is a rewarding hour, produced by the BBC. Steven Spielberg is helping to make a 90-minute nonfiction film about “A Brief History of Time” that will be broadcast by NBC; let’s hope he gives Hawking a more polished forum for his ideas.