Premise too contrived?

Apologies in advance for rambling a bit here. I'm trying to flesh out a pretty vague idea I have for a sitcom and I'm stuck at the point of figuring out how the main characters are going to interact, so I would appreciate anyone's thoughts on this.

The premise is a couple who have moved to London to open a café, and the various struggles they face. Their only friends in London are a wealthy couple who are very kind and generous, but are also pretentious and can annoy the main couple who are more down to earth.

One thought I quite like for getting these two couples tied together is for couple A to have loaned money from couple B to get the café started, as they couldn't get a business loan for whatever reason. This would give a reason for them to make an effort with each other, and motivation for couple A to really try to make a go of the business so they can buy couple B out, and of course their plans would always be scuppered.

The downside I can see is that they really wouldn't have to hang around with each other that much - maybe an evening a week, and a few lunches in the café might be realistic but I'd ideally like it to be more claustrophobic than that.

Now I've had the idea that couple A might move in with couple B, until they can afford to rent their own place (which obviously would never happen). I really like the possibilities this throws up, but I'm torn because it just seems too contrived - in this situation surely anyone would put their plans on hold until they could rent a flat, or one of them would get a part-time job for extra cash. Something could happen in the first episode that causes them to lose their flat after the café has opened, but even then I reckon in real life one or both of them would take on extra work rather than move in with friends who irritate them.

So at last my question...am I overthinking this, or does the idea strike you as unrealistic as well? Can I get away with a bit of a contrived situation in a sitcom despite being a newbie writer, or do you think I should stick with them living separately? Thanks for your thoughts!

Personally I like all those ideas (it made me think of the Good Life, which is no bad thing).
Could the rich couple live next door, perhaps?
I think a lot of great sitcoms have central ideas that are a bit contrived, once you think about them. If it's good enough though, people won't mind or notice.

CAFE SOCIETY

The contrivance is to keep people locked in a situation, ie the posh couple living next door to The Goods who they used to respect, so they are still friends with them - just at odd with their philosophy. I wouldn't have them move in as that contrivance will stale quickly. They have to have a good reason for interracting heavily. Think of somewhere were that can happen to place your cafe.

"The downside I can see is that they really wouldn't have to hang around with each other that much - maybe an evening a week, and a few lunches in the café ."

Why? Just have thr rich couple be the sort who constantly drop in on their friends/investment. Nothing wrong with that.

And if the rich wife (often these women have nothing to do, but plenty of time to do it) wanted to try to impose her idea of 'posh' onto the more down to earth cafe that couple A had in mind, you would have some nice tension there, as couple A would have to put up with the interference because they owed her money.
Bits of the Good Life and Basil's pretensions for a better class of customer...it has potential.

And don't worry TOO much about logic.

Wow, thank you all for your excellent replies, you've given me a lot to think about, especially the interfering lady who lunches angle.

Thanks again

THE BUN HOUSE

It might be worth thinking about where the cafe is set. For example it could be in a supermarket, it could be in a shopping Mall, could be a motorway service stop etc, it could be in a bookshop - so you can have people interfering with them in a managerial capacity without loaning them money etc. I suppose the sea side one has been done recently - but think where it is set rather than just the High STreet may open up a whole new load of conflicts/story lines.

Great thanks, I'll have a think about that. I've always pictured the cafe on a fairly affluent high street, but I love the idea of it being within a bookshop or similar- as you say it would bring in an extra character or two and more conflict.

I wrote one once set in a hospital, still think it's a good idea, might revisit it

Some sort of civic arts centre. perhaps....

This sounds hugely plausable.

And reminds me of Spaced (pretending to be a couple to get a couples only flat)

or The Good Life.

Especially if there was say a granny flat or something.

Does family B expect to eat for free at the cafe and possibly use them as gratis caterers?

Keep this up guys and the credits on this thing are going to run longer than the show...

Ha yes, I was just thinking the same thing!

Thanks to everyone, I'm really grateful for all of the advice and I'm feeling much more positive about this thing now.

I haven't actually watched The Good Life since I was a kid so it's going on to my 'to watch' list now

How about...

Posh couple wouldn't normally lend the money but a parent of the cafe owners has done the posh couple a big favour in the past so they feel they have to. If they don't help there's a risk of the posh lifestyle unravelling.

It's like unintentional blackmail where both couples have a hold over the other