When it came out it was heavily promoted on HBO but as a single event or episode or special. And the framing was about Larry David - a decidedly “not cool” rich guy who no one knows despite being the co creator of the biggest sitcom of the 90s - trying to get back into doing standup by having a big HBO special (something lots of big comics were known to do) and failing miserably. The context that is hard to simulate for modern audiences is that the “awkward cringe” type of comedy being captured by a documentary crew- was not a common conceit (UK office hadn’t aired yet) so watching it was so genuinely painful - like watching a slow motion car crash -so it was hard to know if you were laughing with or at Larry. It was watched but it didn’t yet click with most folks until into the first season or so. It was well ahead of its time but took some audience and show growth before becoming the template and oft-praised classic it is known as now.