Person of Interest creator Jonathan Nola and stars Jim Caviezel, Michael Emerson, Amy Acker, Kevin Chapman and Sarah Shahi met with reporters at Comic-Con International to discuss the future of the hit CBS series, which kicks off its third season next month.

The thriller follows ex-CIA agent John Reese (Caviezel) and billionaire genius Harold Finch (Emerson) as they use a computer system — referred to as “the Machine” — that can predict violent acts to secretly try to stop the crimes before they happen.

Right away Emerson was asked whether viewers will ever learn Finch’s real name. The Lost alum guessed that, “Maybe that will be the storyline for the next season … a hunt for a real name.” But while offering that possibility, he did admit that “I hope they don’t,” because he already had to play a character who switched names.

The dog on Person of Intereste, Bear, apparently isnt a fan of Caviezel, as the soft-spoken actor shared, “He’s nice to him [Emerson], but he can’t stand me.”

He admitted he doesn’t know what happens to Reese in the upcoming season, saying, “I have no idea where these masterminds are going to take it.” Emerson added that fans seem to think the actors sit with the writers and discuss upcoming storylines. “Far from it,” he said.

Shahi and Acker have been promoted to series regulars with the new season. Shahi, who plays the former government assassin Samantha Shaw, said her role is a lot of fun, especially because she “gets to beat people up and shoot guns.”

In describing her character, the actress said, “Shaw is a mix between Jason Bourne and Catwoman. […] She can go places where Reese can’t.” She also shared that she got her motorcycle license recently because her character drives one on the show.

Asked whether Shaw and Reese will ever have a romance, Shahi joked, “I should only be so lucky.” She had noticed the lack of romance in the previous two seasons, and wondered if the characters even had sex.

Acker’s character Root may seem like an antagonist, but the actress said, “Everyone says she’s evil and bad, but she knows something others don’t. Maybe who she killed were really bad people. Maybe she’s doing what she thinks is right.”

Her character’s vision of the Machine is that, “If it were free, the world would be a better place.” What Root does is for the greater good, Acker said.

Chapman shared a funny story about how his character Fusco ended up on a date last season. He had gone to executive producer Jonathan Nolan with the idea of Fusco going on a date and falling in love, but only to reveal in a later episode that the woman was actually a mole for the corrupt elements of the police department known as HR. The actor was excited for the storyline, but before they could even get to the second part with the reveal in another episode, it was already all over Twitter that the woman was a mole. It was too obvious for the fans, so Nolan apologized to Chapman about not seeing the idea to fruition and they ended up not going through with it.

Nolan gave away some details about the upcoming season, revealing that HR has reorganized and recharged. He said he’s also interested in exploring what happens when the Machine makes two premonitions, and because the characters can’t be in two places at once, a tough decision will have to be made. The Machine is free now, he said, adding, “The Machine has a plan.”

Person of Interest returns Sept. 24 on CBS.