CBS' "New Year's Eve Live: Nashville's Big Bash" special experienced a technical difficulty Wednesday night, resulting in approximately 12 minutes of lost airtime. The live broadcast from Music City was abruptly replaced with an episode of "Matlock," leaving viewers bewildered.

The interruption occurred roughly 50 minutes into the five-and-a-half-hour program, which featured a lineup of country music stars performing from Nashville and other locations in anticipation of the midnight countdown. Social media erupted with confused and often humorous reactions as viewers shared their surprise at the unexpected programming shift.

The "Nashville's Big Bash" special has become a New Year's Eve tradition for CBS, aiming to capture a broad audience with its mix of established and emerging country artists. The show is designed to compete with other networks' New Year's Eve offerings, often featuring pop music and celebrity hosts. The technical glitch, while brief, was a notable setback for the network.

CBS representatives did not immediately release a statement explaining the cause of the outage. The network was able to restore the live broadcast and continue with the scheduled performances, but the incident raised questions about the reliability of live television production in an era increasingly dominated by streaming and on-demand content. The incident serves as a reminder of the challenges inherent in live broadcasting, even with today's advanced technology.