CBS Cut off Major TV Special Without Warning: Details on the Billy Joel Snafu

After CBS’ Billy Joel: The 100th – Live at Madison Square Garden was delayed on Sunday night, the network cut off the airing a tad early. The concert special was filmed during the singer’s record-breaking 100th performance at Madison Square Garden in March and included special appearances by Jerry Steinfeld and Sting. While the special was filled with legendary performances by the Piano Man himself, the night ended rather abruptly during the fan-favorite and iconic song.

As Joel was in the middle of “Piano Man,” viewers in the East and Central time zones were cut off two minutes early as CBS went right into local news. The musician shared a statement from CBS on X (formerly known as Twitter), saying “A network programming timing error ended lsat night’s Billy Joel special approximately two minutes early in the Eastern and Central Time Zones. We apologize to Mr. Joel, his fans, our affiliated stations, and our audience whose viewing experience was interrupted during the last song.”

In addition, CBS said that “due to the overwhelming demand from his legion of fans,” Billy Joel: The 100th – Live at Madison Square Garden will be rebroadcast in its entirety on CBS on Apr. 19 at 9 p.m. ET. It’s likely that the cut was due to the fact that CBS’ programming was a half hour behind because of 2024 Masters Tournament coverage running overtime. A new episode of Tracker started at 8:30 p.m. ET, with the Billy Joel special starting at 9:30 p.m. ET instead of 9. The special is streaming on Paramount+ for those who are subscribed, but hopefully, the rebroadcast will be airing in full with no interruption or delay.

Live at Madison Square Garden is Billy Joel’s first concert to air on broadcast network, but unfortunately, it didn’t pan out the way people had hoped. However, with the special airing on Friday, this should be free from any sports delays. Moreover, this won’t eat into Fire Country and Blue Bloods‘ schedules, as both shows were initially set to return in two weeks anyway. A new episode of newly renwed will still be airing on Friday, followed by Billy Joel: The 100th – Live at Madison Square Garden.

Make sure to watch the rebroadcast of Live at Madison Square Garden this Friday, Apr. 19 at 9 p.m. ET on CBS. The special is also streaming in full on Paramount+.