The stars of the hit comedy-drama series "The Bear" sat down with "Good Morning America" ahead of the show's highly anticipated third season, in which the colorful characters build closer toward chef Carmen "Carmy" Berzatto's goal of earning their revamped restaurant its first Michelin star.
Last season, Carmy, played by Jeremy Allen White, transformed his family's failing Italian beef shop -- The Original Beef Of Chicagoland -- into a fine dining restaurant with the help of an ambitious sous chef, a sarcastic yet dogged manager, and, of course, their friends and family.
"I think that feeling of belonging and, like, loneliness, met by the need for belonging -- feeling like you're a part of something bigger than yourself -- that's such a human and universal thing," White said of what makes this unique storyline so special.
The show has become a love letter to restaurant culture with its powerful through line rising from tragedy, tackling an array of unforeseen setbacks and transforming a group of misfits into a hardworking, cohesive culinary team led by Carmy.
"He's so avoidant. And I think when he's going through an experience that's particularly traumatic, like the death of his brother -- or feeling like he's let down his new sort of found family, he's gonna bury himself in the work," White said of his character's development heading into season 3.
Ayo Edebiri has charmed audiences as Sydney, the passionate younger sous chef who has stuck by Carmy's side despite heated tension in the kitchen while racing to open The Bear.
"I think the root of their relationship is ... passion, and it's respect, and it's seeing that same fire," Edebiri explained. "Maybe at different levels of ignition, but they see that fire in each other, and, you know, they wanna push themselves. They wanna push each other."
"Carmy believes in Sydney, probably more than he believes in himself sometimes," White added.
"Saturday Night Live" alum Abby Elliott plays Carmy's sister Natalie "Sugar" Berzatto, who reluctantly took on the role of project manager last season, keeping the team on schedule and intact.
"We have our family, the Berzattos, that we grew up in and the trauma that came with that. And then we have the chosen family. And I think, you know, people really responded to that," she explained of why the series has resonated for so many.
As the team hustles to make it in the fine dining world, Ritchie, played by Ebon Moss-Bachrach, whom Carmy calls "cousin" despite zero blood relation, raises his game by staging at another fine dining establishment to hone his skills and help make their new venture a success.
From food execution to palpable fights, the passion of the restaurant industry is in clear focus.
"It's a real marriage between the actors and the crew because it is so volatile, and there's real flames and real knives in the kitchen -- and small spaces," Moss-Bachrach said.
Canadian chef and restaurant owner Matty Matheson is an executive producer on the show and also stars as Neil Fak, bringing some comedic relief to the series.
"It's great," he said simply of what it's like to see his character help bridge the gap between Carmy and Ritchie.
The latest season has already drummed up some serious buzz since the cast accumulated a handful of awards. But the cast members say that's not the only driving force behind their work.
"If the awards come, great. But I don't think that that's what you can be focusing on and create what we have," Liza Colón-Zayas, who plays cook Tina Marrero, told "GMA."
Edebiri added, "Getting to make this work is the gift -- getting to have people really feel impacted by it and moved by it, that's the gift on top of the gift."
