"Hawaii Five-0" kicked off its third season Sunday in true Hawaiian style — with the beauty and warmth of the ocean, sky, breezes and beach matching the spirit and exuberance of the fans and actors.

An enthusiastic, international crowd of thousands gathered at Waikiki Beach to cheer on the stars and executives of the show, who in brief comments provided hints of a season that promises even more excitement and emotional drama than the first two.

In last season’s cliffhanger finale, each member of the crime-fighting team faced a crisis: Steve McGarrett (Alex O’Loughlin) discovered that his mother was still alive after believing that she was dead for 20 years, Danny Williams (Scott Caan) was considering whether to leave the squad to be with his daughter, Chin Ho Kelly (Daniel Dae Kim) was racing to save his wife and Kono Kalakaua (Grace Park) was tied up and dumped overboard at sea.

O’Loughlin, whose fans were among the most vociferous in the crowd, said his character is "evolving" in his relationship with his mother, portrayed by Christine Lahti.

"We have a lot of issues," he said. "There’s a lot of stuff for all the characters to deal with on a personal and emotional level."

O’Loughlin praised the writers and CBS for scripts that continue to "go back to character for us."

"It’s so easy for a show, especially one that becomes a hit, to just go straight to procedural and they just do their thing … and it’s the crime of the week. They don’t do that. They keep filling us with great new back stories and character stuff."

An Aussie, O’Loughlin said it was great that so many Australians came out for Sunset on the Beach.

"I love hearing the accent. I’ve been away from home for a long time now," he said, but he warned his female fans that "my lady (Malia) is here. She’s pretty ferocious now and she’s eight months pregnant."

Kim, who spent part of the summer doing charity work for Malaysia and Singapore, said his character will face some "big decisions" this year.

"I think Chin Ho started in a place where he was searching for family, and now he’s found it," he said, adding that it was good to take a break after the drama of last season.

Michelle Borth, who has been "promoted" to a series regular this season, said she is excited to show off more martial arts moves. She portrays Navy Lt. Catherine Rollins, the romantic and crime-fighting partner of McGarrett, but so far has been relegated mostly to bedroom and office scenes.

"For this season it’s a lot of fight scenes, a lot of tae­kwondo," said Borth, who’s taken up surfing since moving to Hawaii. "You just feel like a female version of McGarrett. And then we have some insane elaborate setups, explosions, helicopters and cars, like out of a film. It’s bigger and bolder."

Show executives let on that Max Bergman, the medical examiner portrayed by Masi Oka, will have a romantic interest this season.

"We finally found Masi a date, I think," said executive producer Robert Orci, although he said he wasn’t sure yet who would be cast in the role.

Said Producer Peter Lenkov, "We haven’t started casting the role yet, but we always look locally."

Oka suggested his character’s many quirks — a penchant for fast cars, "Star Trek" and playing piano — may be overshadowed by the introduction of a romantic interest, but that he might have some fun as his character walks with a cane.

"He got shot at the end of last season, so no frills, no jewelry, just walkling with a cane," he said.

Nina Tassler, CBS president, said the Sunset on the Beach event was something that network executives "live for."

"For people to literally make a trip here to be here for the premiere, that’s devotion," said Tassler, who was attending her first Sunset on the Beach. "The fan base is beyond anything we could hope for."

Tassler said the network had thoughts of reviving "Five-0" before three years ago but felt Lenkov’s version "nailed it."

"They had re-conceived the show, the characters, but with a great deal of respect for the history and the lore of the show," she said. "It was undeniable."

Series regulars Park and Caan were unavailable for comment.

Fans arrived early for the event, but few were earlier than Margaret Hart and her friends, who started setting up at 12:30 a.m. Sunday. Hart met her fellow campers just four days earlier on the bus from Chinatown, where she works.

"We just clicked and we all love Alex," she said.

O’Loughlin also claimed another star-struck fan in San­geeta Bajaj, an Australian who claimed a spot near the entrance to the VIP area.

She watches each episode "three or four times," she said, and has been a fan of his since the TV show "Moonlight."

She found out about the Sunset on the Beach event only a few days ago.

"My girlfriend told me, ‘There’s a premiere.’" she recalled. "I said, ‘Are they? I’m there.’"