No, I’m not talking about some sort of epic Gandalf-Saruman-esque showdown (as awesome as it would be to watch Merlin fight himself). I’m talking about the epic fight for supremacy that’s currently going on in my imagination between Colin Morgan — the actor portraying the wizard in the new Merlin miniseries, airing tonight at 8 p.m. on NBC — and Sam Neil, the actor who expertly stepped into Merlin’s magical shoes more than a decade ago.

Sure, 1998’s Merlin already has the advantage, being that it’s my favorite miniseries of all time, and I have yet to see tonight’s Merlin. But my colleague Adam Markovitz has made a strong case for Morgan in his B+ review of the miniseries, which began last Sunday: “There’s enough sword-clanging action — not to mention homoerotic tension — to keep viewers happily entertained for a spell.”

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