Entertainment

Regis Philbin suits up for Fox Sports 1 gig

It’s been nearly two years since Regis Philbin has been an everyday TV presence.

But that’s about to change.

Philbin will make his triumphant return to daily television next month with the launch of “Crowd Goes Wild,” the live, round table sports show he’ll host on the new Fox Sports 1 cable network.

“We’ve got a nice little panel of people together, a lot of friends,” says Philbin. “And if a celebrity like George Clooney comes to town with a movie, we’ll play clips from his movie — but we’ll also talk to George, who grew up in Cincinnati, about his sports roots, like if he’s still a big Reds fan.

“I’m happy to be part of sports TV,” he says. “If you look at the ratings, that’s what’s on top. Sports is the biggest hit TV has these days. It’s all there on the field, pal.”

“Crowd Goes Wild” will air from a new studio at Chelsea Piers. Airing weekdays at 5 p.m., it will feature Philbin in the moderator’s role (think Barbara Walters on “The View”), with five others (give or take) participating in the roundtable discussion.

None of Philbin’s co-hosts has been confirmed yet — but one of them is an “ex-NFL player,” Philbin says. “Thirty seven pro [NFL] players since the end of the season have been arrested in the past six months — not to mention the murders,” he says, alluding to ex-Pats player Aaron Hernandez, recently arrested and charged with first-degree murder. “I want to know what the hell is going on.”

Philbin, 81, left “Live” in November 2011 after a 25-year run — first with Kathie Lee Gifford and then with Kelly Ripa — and says he “really wasn’t” looking for a daily TV gig until he was approached by Fox.

(Fox Sports 1 officially launches on Monday, Aug. 17. “Crowd Goes Wild” premieres two days later.)

Did he have other TV projects in the works before committing to Fox Sports 1? “I really can’t think of anything that came close; I didn’t pursue anything vigorously,” he says. “Whatever came up, came up. Either it just didn’t work out or I backed away, but this was the one that got my attention.”

Philbin, for the uninitiated, is a Notre Dame alum — and talked frequently about his alma mater’s football team on “Live.” “I could see Kathie Lee’s eyes crossing, Kelly yawning and [executive producer Michael] Gelman saying, ‘What is he talking about?’” he says of his sports talk.

Philbin says he’ll also continue making his monthly appearances on “Rachael Ray,” which started last fall and boosted the show’s numbers whenever Philbin appeared.

And, he says, he’s ready to get back into the daily TV grind.

“I kind of enjoyed it, though I don’t know how much [wife] Joy enjoyed it,” he says of his time away. “There were times when I would get a little antsy, when I wondered what I could or should be doing.”