Cordero honed his rhythm inside the high-pressure environment of the Upright Citizens Brigade (UCB) in New York and Los Angeles. Improv demands acute listening, rapid character development, and generous collaboration. Cordero absorbed those principles early, becoming a staple performer and instructor whose live shows drew deep admiration from fellow comedians.
That stage experience translated into a flurry of television appearances throughout the 2010s. Writers discovered that giving Cordero two lines often yielded the funniest beat in an episode. In NBC’s critically acclaimed fantasy comedy The Good Place, he carved out an unforgettable footprint as Pillboi, the loyal, dim-witted partner-in-crime to Manny Jacinto’s Jason Mendoza. Pillboi could have been a one-dimensional stereotype, but Cordero played him with earnest sincerity, turning brief cutaways into beloved running jokes.
Simultaneously, he secured regular territory on cable and streaming. In truTV's firehouse comedy Tacoma FD, created by Super Troopers veterans Kevin Heffernan and Steve Lemme, Cordero starred as firefighter Andy Myawani across four seasons. The series allowed him to showcase high-energy slapstick and sharp banter week after week, establishing him as a proven ensemble anchor rather than just a brief guest performer.
