She first achieved fame as Beth Jordache in the Channel 4 soap opera Brookside (1993–1995), later coming to international prominence with her role as Charlotte "Chuck" Charles on ABC's Pushing Daisies (2007–2009), for which she received a nomination for the Golden Globe for Best Actress in a Comedy Series.

The character was involved in some of the series' most famous storylines, including the murder and covert burial of her abusive father,[10] and the first ever pre-watershed lesbian kiss in British television history;[7] a moment that went on to be broadcast around the world—including 76 countries where homosexuality is outlawed—when it featured during a montage at the 2012 Olympics opening ceremony.

[13] Upon leaving the show, a decision that she initially thought to be a "terrible mistake",[14] Friel was cast in an episode of Tales from the Crypt and appeared as one of the main characters in Stephen Poliakoff's television film The Tribe (1998), which attracted controversy for its inclusion of a ménage à trois sex scene.

In his appraisal of You for Variety, David Rooney said, "Of the central duo, Friel has the most difficult job, playing an essentially unsympathetic brat … But [she] continually tempers the negatives with a vulnerability and insecurity that redeem her".

[30][31] Describing her portrayal of the titular Victorian sex worker, theatre critic Nicholas de Jongh felt, "The appeal of Miss Friel's [performance] depends upon its restraint, guile and cool", noting that she mixes "child-like glee and naughtiness" with a "calm and callous" demeanour.

In a mixed review of Motel, The Georgia Straight's Ken Eisner noted that Friel's performance carried "the most weight" in the film, while commending her "perfect local accent".

[1] In 2007, Friel was cast as Charlotte "Chuck" Charles in Pushing Daisies, an American dramedy series created by Bryan Fuller, which aired on ABC from October that year until June 2009.

The show was warmly reviewed during its run,[37] with television critic John Leonard believing it to be "at once satire, mystery, fairy tale, romance, lollipop, whimsy, and kazoo", and singling out Friel as a highlight.

[42] In her review for The Guardian, Gwladys Fouché described the film as being "bathed in a gothic atmosphere that tops every Dracula movie you've seen", while saying of Friel, "[she] spends two-and-half hours wielding swords, torturing peasants, surviving poison plots and making love to Caravaggio (yes, the Italian painter) to protect her land", adding that "[she] rolls her r's in an interesting attempt at a local accent".

[43] Directed by Brad Silberling and based on the 1970s television series of the same name, Lost was met with tepid reviews and poor box office upon its release in June 2009,[44][45] though some critics enjoyed Friel's portrayal of Holly Cantrell, a spirited palaeontologist,[46] remarking that she and Ferrell shared onscreen chemistry.

[47] Friel returned to the stage towards the end of 2009 in an adaptation of Truman Capote's Breakfast at Tiffany's, which played at the Theatre Royal Haymarket for four months and gained notice for its addition of nudity,[48] with increased security being implemented at the venue after naked images of Friel—taken during a preview performance—were anonymously posted online.

[49] The production received mixed reviews,[50] but Friel's portrayal of café society daydreamer Holly Golightly, one of her "all time favourite heroines",[51] was praised: Alice Jones of The Independent described her as "infectious", adding, "Gorgeously gamine and wrapped, like a treat from Tiffany's, in an array of ever more extravagantly bowed cocktail dresses, she's a bewitching stage presence, at once perilously provocative and child-like";[52] while Ray Bennett of The Hollywood Reporter believed she brought "confidence" and "considerable depth" to the part.

[53] In November 2009, Friel won an RTS Award for "Best Performance in a Drama Series" for her work as Dee, a struggling single mother who turns to prostitution, in BBC One's The Street.

[54] Friel had key parts in three films released in 2010: self-destructive Iris in the Woody Allen ensemble comedy You Will Meet a Tall Dark Stranger, ex-drug addict Melissa in Neil Burger's lucrative sci-fi thriller Limitless,[55] and depressed alcoholic Briony in the gangster drama London Boulevard, with her work in the latter being described as "engaging".

[59][60] She then returned to the West End in a new version of Anton Chekhov's Uncle Vanya at the Vaudeville Theatre (November 2012 to February 2013),[61] receiving praise for her role as aristocratic newlywed Yelena.

[62][63] Next, she appeared as a vilified probation officer in the BBC crime drama series Public Enemies (2012)[64] and headlined two British films: The Look of Love, a biopic where she played the long-suffering wife of self-made millionaire Paul Raymond, and the independent comedy-drama Having You (both 2013).

In September 2013, Friel was cast as one of the main characters in the Ridley Scott-directed pilot The Vatican,[65] though—due in part to a negative response from affiliates of the Catholic Church—Showtime decided not to proceed with a full series.

Speaking of her decision to take on the part—a former policewoman who returns to work to investigate an unsolved serial killer case—she told a journalist prior to the debut of the second season, "I nearly pulled out of [the job] after I'd accepted it [because] I just thought, 'Oh God, how can I do this?

[79] On the second season of The Girlfriend Experience (2017), an anthology drama series produced by Steven Soderbergh for the Starz network, Friel played Erica Myles, an ambitious financier engaged in dom-sub partnerships with multiple women.

Her performance was described as "outstanding" by The Atlantic[80] and "fantastic" by Variety, who added, "sometimes [the camera] just focuses on her eyes, which can either well up with frustrated tears or shutter in Erica's emotions, as changeable as the sky reflected in a lake".

[82] That same year, she was nominated for the British Academy Television Award for Best Supporting Actress for her portrayal of a destitute mother in the six-part BBC drama Broken,[83] with Metro's Sarah Deen noting, "Friel excellently [plays] Christina's frantic desperation … all wild eyes, flapping shoes and dry humour ('I went to Mass and I got the sack.

Lucy Mangan of The Guardian called the show "important, truthful ... a wonderfully delicate drama that covers new ground carefully and features fully realised characters",[85] while the New Statesman felt that Friel's portrayal of a mother "racked by guilt" was "sterling".

Club, Max Gao said: Friel, not Sarandon, is the show's real leading lady—and a pretty great one at that … She belts out song after song, delivers memorable, fast-paced one-liners in a Texas accent ("I was going to say be careful about the rats, but there's no need because… you're going to fit right in"), and plays Nicky with such steadfast conviction that it's easy to wonder why she hasn't been more successful on this side of the pond since starring in ABC's Pushing Daisies … thankfully [this is] a role that is worthy of her talents.