No subscriptions? No problems! Here are some of the best movies and TV series you can watch free

It seems like every day, there's a new streaming service that demands your attention and a monthly fee of between $6 and $20.

Before you despair and do something drastic like turn off your television, know there is another way. There is a whole treasure trove of film and TV streaming right now that you can access FREE — if you know where to look.

We know you're low on time already so we've done the hard yards, sifting through three free streaming services — iview, SBSonDemand and Tubi — to bring you the cream of the crop.

So, put down your debit card, pick up your mouse and enjoy some of the finest fee-free viewing money can't buy.

If you're feeling: Comedy

Please Like Me (iview)

After a period bouncing between streamers, Josh Thomas's breakout dramedy is back and free for anyone to watch (and you really should).

Please Like Me was to Australian millennials what Girls was to…American millennials. Over four seasons, Thomas and co. tackle some of the toughest subjects — mental health, sexuality, death, your baking not turning out right — but under the guise of irreverent humour well known to any Aussie. Come for the laffs, be surprised that you're crying real tears.

Reefer Madness: The Movie Musical (SBSonDemand)

A spoof on the pearl-clutching 1936 exploitation film, Reefer Madness: The Movie Musical truly feels like a movie you'd come across late at night and then only remember as a fever dream.

Narrated by a sinfully good Alan Cumming, this Reefer Madness centres on Mary Lane: (Kristen Bell) an all-American sweetheart that is driven to depravity after her boyfriend Jimmy (Christian Campbell) is influenced by a bunch of dangerous pot-heads. The performances are immensely silly, the songs absolutely slap (one actually won an Emmy for being so good) and you get a sneak peak at Bell and SNL alumni Ana Gasteyer very early in their careers.

Pride (iview)

If you feel like a good bittersweet cry, then this 2014 tearjerker is exactly what you need.

Based on the UK miners strike in the 80s, the film focuses in on the Lesbian and Gays Support the Miners group who raised thousands for the striking workers. Pride zooms in on the group's relationship with a small Welsh mining town that is wary of their support.

Bolstered by a dream ensemble cast including Andrew Scott, George Mackay, Imelda Staunton and Jessica Gunning (playing a much nicer character than in her Baby Reindeer breakout), Pride will have you swelling with emotion.

Honourable mentions: But I'm A Cheerleader (Tubi), The Marvelous Mrs Maisel (SBSonDemand), Boy (iview), Michelle Brasier: Average Bear (iview)

If you're feeling: Drama

Secret Diary of A Call Girl (Tubi)

Following her stint as Dr Who's sidekick, UK actor Billie Piper jumped ship to helm this salacious series revolving around high-end escort Hannah Baxter aka Belle (based on the experiences of former sex worker and author Brooke Magnanti). 

A far cry from grubby sexploitation, Hannah is empowered by her career and actually quite enjoys it. And you'll enjoy it too, as she takes the audience along for the ride to meet her various eclectic clients. Trouble arises as Hannah tries to balance her double life (most of the people around her think she's a night legal secretary), but the show never uses her occupation to strip her of her autonomy.

The Fabelmans (iview)

Now here's a movie the whole family can enjoy. Directed, produced and co-written by Stephen Spielberg, The Fabelmans is loosely based on the cinema icon's life as a young, aspiring filmmaker with a dysfunctional family.

Cinephiles will revel at seeing the marvel of movies through the eyes of Spielberg stand-in Sammy (Gabriel LaBelle, in his breakthrough performance). Story-lovers will be both entranced and devastated by the complicated relationships between Sammy and his parents Mitzi and Bert (Michelle Willams and Paul Dano, who both picked up multiple award nominations for their performances). Sit back and let one of the greatest filmmakers of all time prove that he's still got it 50 years in.

The Assistant (SBSonDemand)

Bathed in the shadow of #MeToo, The Assistant is a claustrophobic distillation of the intersectional issues that saw the movement take grip worldwide. It's set over one work day of Jane (Julia Gardner), a low-level assistant to an unseen New York film producer (an obvious Weinstein stand-in).

The casual degradation that Jane experiences at the hands of not just her boss but all her male co-workers is stomach-churning. The discomfort is only matched by the seedy happenings that Jane is privy to in her toxic work environment. The Assistant is truly a film you'll only watch once.

Honourable mentions: The Imitation Game (iview), After Yang (SBSonDemand), The Art Of Self Defence (Tubi), Good Time (SBSonDemand), Prisoners (iview)

If you're feeling: Horror

Interview With The Vampire (iview)

There was some trepidation when it was announced that Anne Rice's seminal vampy books were being turned into a TV show, having already been transformed into a vehicle for Brad Pitt in 1994. But those fears were unfounded.

Interview with a Vampire says the quiet parts of Rice's novels out loud, making protagonist Louis de Pointe du Lac (Jacob Anderson) a Black, closeted brothel owner just waiting to be seduced and turned by French vamp Lestat de Lioncourt (Aussie Sam Reid).

That's not the only change to the source material: the 21st century reboot uses vampirism as a vessel to unpack trauma, abuse, race and sexuality, while also remaining true to Rice's vision of hot people having gay drama.

Housebound (SBSonDemand)

This freaky film is one for the scaredy cats because, in the time-honoured New Zealand tradition, this horror is also a comedy!

We meet delinquent youngster Kylie (Morgana O'Reilly) just before she's sentenced to something far worse than jail: eight months' house arrest at her childhood home with her mother. Her mum, Miriam (Rima Te Wiata, always fabulous) thinks the house is haunted and, after experiencing a couple of bumps in the night herself, Kylie starts to believe too.

If there's one thing the Kiwis have a hold on, it's mixing the terrifying with the hilarious, and Housebound is no different — writer/director Gerald Johnstone might get you with a jump scare, but they'll soon soothe you with a belly laugh.

Honourable mentions: The Moogai (SBSonDemand), Speak No Evil (SBSonDemand), We Have Always Lived In The Castle (Tubi), Benedetta (SBSonDemand), Orphan (iview)

If you're feeling: like you just want to chill out

Letterkenny (SBSonDemand)

You're just as likely to see an impeccably soundtracked punch-up as you are to see a heart-to-heart chat on Letterkenny, and therein lies the beauty.

Originally conceived as a YouTube series by creator Jared Keeso, the show follows the small-scale problems of a rural Ontario town, the titular Letterkenny. There are many factions within Letterkenny: our farmer protagonists the Hicks, led by Keeso's stoic-yet-super-soft Wayne; the beefhead jock hockey players who are both dating Wayne's sister Katy (progressive); and the meth-addicted, techno-dancing Skids.

The dialogue and jokes are so whip fast and relentless, it's advisable to keep the subtitles on until you get a grasp on their cadence. But once you understand the language of Letterkenny, you'll never want to leave.

The Simple Life (Tubi)

Forget the Kardashians, The Simple Life is the grand-daddy of influencer-led "reality" TV, and it even had a concept beyond "watch these sisters eat salads". The Simple Life season one saw then-practically unknown heiresses Paris Hilton and Nicole Richie sent to live with a rural Arkansas family to see if they could hack it in the real world.

The second season is where things get incredibly entertaining, as Paris and Nicole travel the United States looking for gigs as everything from fast food workers to theme-park mermaids. It's a quintessential slice of early-2000s pop culture, and a rewatch brings into focus just how influential The Simple Life was on future celebrity content.

The Orville (SBSonDemand)

The Orville is a loving homage to Star Trek from Family Guy creator and renowned sci-fi nerd Seth MacFarlane. Yes, to some people this will sound as appealing as nails on a chalkboard but, against all odds, The Orville is top-tier comfort viewing (even if you've never seen an episode of Star Trek, like me).

It combines the best parts of workplace drama with compelling "monster of the week", moral-quandary storytelling. It certainly has high-stakes episodes, but they're softened with the underlying knowledge that all the main cast is going to be fine.

While the first season is clearly trying to find its feet, seasons two and three have 100 and 95 per cent Rotten Tomatoes scores, respectively. Plus, every episode is so magnificently scored by a 75-piece orchestra that you'll overlook some leaps in logic.

Honourable mentions: Burlesque (iview), The Sisterhood Of The Travelling Pants 1 & 2 (iview), The Joy of Painting (Tubi), Scrubs (SBSonDemand)