Make the agreement understandable
The audience should grasp what each person wants, why the arrangement is preferable to walking away, and what happens if it ends. Those three facts provide a clear frame for short episodes. A vague contract becomes an excuse for proximity; a specific one creates choices.
The agreement can also reveal character. One lead may treat it as protection, another as leverage. A scene becomes interesting when the same clause means something different to each of them.
Let closeness change the balance
Forced proximity works when new information changes what the leads believe. A family visit, a debt, or a threat from outside can force cooperation. Later, the pair may keep the agreement even when the original reason has disappeared—or decide that it now costs too much.
The relationship needs visible agency. When coercion or a large power imbalance is part of the premise, ask what decisions the less powerful person can make and how those decisions alter the story. Repeatedly denying that character any meaningful choice weakens the emotional arc.
Use the outside world to sustain the run
A contract is an opening device, not 80 episodes of one argument. Families, rivals, obligations, and the original problem that required the bargain can create fresh conflicts. The strongest beats test both the written arrangement and the feelings developing around it.
For production planning, the premise can be economical: a home, office, and recurring family setting do much of the work. The writing has to make each return feel different by changing who has leverage, what is known, or which rule is about to be broken.