WITH all the hype around subscription streaming services Netflix, Stan and Foxtel Now, you’d be forgiven for overlooking the free ones.

But overlook them at your peril. Well, specifically, overlook one of them at your peril.

We’re not talking about ABC’s iView platform — everyone knows iView has been leading the way with free-to-air streaming for years, especially when it comes to local content.

We’re certainly not talking about the catch-up streaming offerings from Channels 7, 9 and 10, unless you’re particularly fond of interchangeable reality TV shows interrupted by the same ad 17 times.

We’re talking about SBS On Demand. It has a lot of excellent content and, best of all, it’s free. And there aren’t a lot of ads — sometimes as little as two minutes total in a standard 42-minute program. Score.

The public broadcaster has been plunging a lot of cash on advertising to promote buzzed-about drama, The Handmaid’s Tale, available exclusively on its streaming service. The Handmaid’s Tale just picked up 13 Emmy nominations last week, including for Best Drama and Lead Actress for Elisabeth Moss. It’s a serious contender for best series of the 2017.

The bold move suggests the network sees the value in SBS On Demand as a plank in staying relevant against digital behemoths such as Netflix and even Facebook. Following Netflix’s distribution model, it even dropped the entire season at once to consume at your own pace, just like it did earlier with The Young Pope, Atlanta and Search Party.

It also houses the most recent episodes of great shows such as Fargo, Orphan Black and The Mindy Project but you’ll have to be quick with those, they only stick around for a few weeks.

From a technical perspective, the user experience isn’t always intuitive but it doesn’t have the money that, say Netflix, has to perfect it. It is, happily, available across a range of platforms including smart TVs, desktop, PlayStation, Xbox, Apple TV, FetchTV, Telstra TV, T-Box, Chromecast, and smartphones and tablets.

On a personal note, I recently had a technical issue logging in and tagged the SBS On Demand handle on Twitter and received two direct messages from the platform’s developers (rather than customer service go-betweens) plus an email. Now that’s impressive.

So with that in mind, if you’re looking for something great to watch, here are a few recommendations of what you could be watching on SBS On Demand right now.

TV SHOWS

The Handmaid’s Tale: Set in a dystopian world not unlike our own, Offred is a handmaid in a powerful commander’s home where she belongs to a caste of women whose only purpose is to procreate. Powerful, must-watch TV.

The Young Pope: An English-language Italian series created and directed by Paolo Sorrentino, it stars Jude Law as a mercurial just-elected American pope. The Young Pope is beautifully made and an alluring series.

Atlanta: Nominated for six Emmy Awards, Atlanta was one of the most exciting new series to emerge from 2016. Conceived by and starring Donald Glover, the smart and inventive show follows Princeton dropout Earn as he tries to make his mark as a music manager.

The Family Law: Based on Benjamin Law’s acclaimed book, this funny biographical series examines what it’s like to grow up in an immigrant family in Australia.

Search Party: A Gen Y-focused half-hour mystery, Search Party is about Dory and her typically self-centred friends as they try to solve the disappearance of a former college friend. Owing much of its spirit to Nancy Drew, Search Party is immensely likeable and extremely watchable.

Viceland docos: SBS’ partnership with Vice has borne juicy fruit for viewers with a slate of thought-provoking and entertaining documentaries on SBS On Demand, including Ellen Page’s series, Gaycation, a travel program told from a LGBTIQ perspective.

Crime: There is a healthy selection of crime dramas including loads of Scandi-noir series such as Arne Dahl or Midnight Success, which was created by the same team as The Bridge. Canadian series Cardinal, starring Billy Campbell, just landed recently. Guess there’s something about murderous deeds and really cold weather.

PICK OF THE FLICKS

Indies: Noah Baumbach’s Frances Ha with the irresistibly charming Greta Gerwig at her best; Jim Jarmusch’s Broken Flowers starring Bill Murray; Ned Benson’s The Disappearance of Eleanor Rigby: Them with Jessica Chastain and James McAvoy; Charlie Kauffman’s directorial debut Synecdoche, New York; Andrea Arnold’s Fish Tank with Michael Fassbender; Mike Mills’ Beginners with Ewan McGregor and Christopher Plummer; John Michael McDonagh’s darkly hilarious The Guard with Brendan Gleeson and Don Cheadle; and Taika Watiti’s Boy.

Classics: Michael Crichton’s Westworld which the HBO series was based on; John Yates’ crime thriller Bullitt with Steve McQueen; Stanley Kubrick’s 2001: A Space Odyssey and Full Metal Jacket; Sidney Lumet’s A Dog Day Afternoon (Attica! Attica!), Aussie classic Ana Kokkino’s Head On with Alex Dimitriades; Barry Levinson’s influential comedy Diner; and John Carpenter’s Halloween.

World cinema: Curated selection of 10 Mads Mikkelsen starrers including the confronting The Hunt by Thomas Vinterberg; Wong Kar-wai’s classic 2046; Polish favourite and Oscar nominee Ida; and Michael Haneke’s Palme d’Or winner The White Ribbon.

Continue the conversation on Twitter with @wenleima.