Bell landed her first big job with the lead female role in NBC's War Stories, also starring Jeff Goldblum. She made two guest appearances on ER in 2002, then went on to play Alicia Silverstone's wisecracking best friend, Victoria, in NBC's short-lived series Miss Match. In 2004, Bell made her debut as Sally Heep in The Practice, and her character was carried over into the series offshoot, Boston Legal, where she was made a regular cast member until she left the series in 2005. Bell went on to play the lead role in the sci-fi show Surface, which premiered September 19, 2005, and was cancelled in May 2006.

In the fall of 2006, Bell returned to Boston Legal for two episodes, reprising her role as Sally Heep as opposing counsel to Alan Shore (portrayed by James Spader). Her film work includes Chris Fisher's The Hillside Strangler (2004), Love Your Work (2003), Speakeasy (2002), and Slammed (2001). She recently wrapped on her latest film, Pride and Glory (2008), which also stars Ed