CBS' "New Year's Eve Live: Nashville's Big Bash" special experienced a technical difficulty on Wednesday night, resulting in approximately 12 minutes of interrupted broadcast time. Viewers expecting live performances from country music stars were instead met with an episode of "Matlock," causing confusion across the nation.

The unexpected programming shift occurred roughly 50 minutes into the five-and-a-half-hour New Year's Eve special. Social media platforms quickly lit up with reactions, ranging from humorous takes on the abrupt change to expressions of frustration from viewers eager to ring in the new year with the scheduled musical performances.

The "Nashville's Big Bash" special, now in its fourth year, has become a staple of CBS' New Year's Eve programming. The show aims to capture the energy of Nashville's vibrant music scene, drawing in a broad audience with a mix of established stars and rising artists. Industry insiders note that live television events, while offering unique excitement, are always susceptible to technical glitches. The incident serves as a reminder of the inherent challenges in broadcasting live from multiple locations.

CBS has not yet released an official statement detailing the cause of the outage. However, a network representative confirmed that the broadcast was restored and continued as planned, with the scheduled performances resuming after the brief "Matlock" interlude. The remainder of the program proceeded without further incident, allowing viewers to celebrate the arrival of 2026 with the intended musical lineup. It remains to be seen if the network will address the disruption in future broadcasts or online.