[8] In 2000, she was cast in a main role on the FOX Family Channel drama series Higher Ground.

Staite played Kaylee Frye in the short-lived television series Firefly[10][11] and its subsequent 2005 film, Serenity.

[12] She wrote a chapter in the book Finding Serenity, called "Kaylee Speaks: Jewel Staite On Firefly".

Before taking on the role as Dr. Keller, she previously played the Wraith child Ellia in the Stargate Atlantis episode "Instinct".

[17] In 2012, Staite was a series regular on The L.A. Complex, in which she portrayed Raquel Westbrook, a struggling actress.

Staite appeared in 10 episodes of the AMC crime drama, The Killing, as Detective Stephen Holder's girlfriend Caroline Swift, from 2013–2014.