In the beginning of an ad for Pivot, a disembodied voice says, “Maybe our generation will really change things.” This is the foundation of the new cable TV channel, which launched Aug. 1. Featuring original programming by Joseph Gordon-Levitt and Meghan McCain, the channel is hoping to appeal to the environmentally conscious and socially liberal youth market. Pivot’s library of content includes re-runs of shows, the most notable of which is “Friday Night Lights,” and a slew of documentaries that analyze wide-ranging societal issues like corporate farming (“Food, Inc.”) and the failures of the American public school system (“Waiting for ‘Superman’”).

While this type of syndicated content fits the brand image, the success of Pivot will depend on its original programming. Premiering Jan. 18, Gordon-Levitt’s “HitRECord on TV!” is a variety show featuring short films, live performances, music and animation made collaboratively by people on his Internet-based production company, hitRECord. Other series include McCain’s “Raising McCain,” a talk show discussing current issues young people face, and “TakePart Live,” a nightly news program that takes comments from viewers via social media.

Pivot’s one original show, “Please Like Me,” of which the pilot is available for free online, is a quirky and cringe-worthy comedy-drama featuring a main character who comes to the realization in the first episode that he is gay. Written by and starring Australian comedian Josh Thomas, the show has a similar tone to HBO’s “Girls,” like in the minute-long scene during which Thomas awkwardly changes into his pajamas in the area between an open door and a wall because he is uncomfortable with changing in front of the boy who asked to sleep with him. In the episode, Thomas’ mother attempts suicide by taking pills and half a bottle of Bailey’s and Josh decides to live with her so that she doesn’t have to live in a “mental home.” “Please Like Me” is a daring and seriously funny TV series, and it bodes well for Pivot’s future programming.

From an industry standpoint, Pivot is the first and only cable network to allow viewers to subscribe to an Internet version of the channel. It is aimed directly at “cord-cutters,” with access to a live-stream and on-demand content. President of Pivot Evan Shapiro hopes to convince cable companies to create a bundle of cable channels that can be viewed online without a full cable subscription. The youth market has always been a fickle audience when it comes to content, and it will be interesting to see in the coming months if Pivot has figured it out. The programming and subscription model is a step in the right direction, but time will tell if so-called millennials will be willing to shell out money for Pivot.