Forget the red. This year's Emmys carpet at the Peacock Theater in downtown LA came dressed in blue, a deliberate nod to NBC turning 100 this year. The network is broadcasting Sunday's ceremony, and someone in the marketing department clearly decided the anniversary deserved more than a logo bump on screen.

Mariska Hargitay is hosting, her first time behind the podium after 27 seasons keeping order on "Law & Order: SVU." That's a story in itself, but the real theatre tonight is happening a few feet in front of the step-and-repeat.

Chase Infiniti is making her first Emmys red carpet appearance, arriving fresh off a film awards run that's kept her in near-constant rotation this year. She's up against Keri Russell and Zendaya in the drama lead actress category, and Zendaya, for what it's worth, has not lost a red carpet in recent memory. Whether that streak survives the peacock blue backdrop is its own small subplot.

The comedy side brought its own firepower. Quinta Brunson, Ayo Edebiri and Elle Fanning are all nominated for lead actress, and all three tend to treat award season as an excuse to take fashion risks rather than play it safe. Over in limited series and TV movie, Claire Danes, Carey Mulligan and Sarah Pidgeon rounded out a category that's been quietly one of the more interesting fields this year.

Then there's "Hacks." Megan Stalter and Paul W. Downs have made a habit of turning up in coordinated outfits at every stop this season, and reports suggest tonight was no exception. It's a small running bit that's become its own red carpet tradition, the kind Emmy night thrives on.

The men's side wasn't short on names either. Sterling K. Brown, Noah Wyle, Steve Carell, Matthew Rhys, Charlie Hunnam, Oscar Isaac and Colman Domingo were all among the arrivals worth watching, spanning everything from prestige drama to straight comedy.

What's actually interesting here isn't any single outfit. It's that NBC decided a carpet colour swap was worth doing at all, on a night when the network is both broadcaster and, in a sense, the story. A hundred years is a long run for any TV company, and blue carpets don't happen twice. Whether this becomes a one-off gimmick or something NBC leans into again down the line is the real open question once the statuettes get handed out and everyone changes back into something more comfortable.