From the thrill of vicarious experiences and the comfort of escapism to the insights gained through social comparison and the appeal of intimacy, these shows offer significant emotional and cognitive engagement.

In an ideal world, we would all have conversations about consensual non-monogamy with ourselves even before we went into relationships, and have contracts and questionnaires before engaging in them, but life is often not so regimented.

Tom and Jerry. Sylvester and Tweety. Elmer Fudd and Bugs Bunny. These famous unlikely couples exemplify the tortured relationship prototype of pursuit and flight.