Wagner is best known for her leading role in the American science fiction television series The Bionic Woman (1976–1978), in which she portrayed character Jaime Sommers.

Her primetime network television debut was in the series Adam-12 ("Million Dollar Buff"), and she went on to appear in a dozen other Universal shows, including Owen Marshall: Counselor at Law (co-starring Lee Majors), The F.B.I., Sarge, and Night Gallery (1971, as the nurse in the episode: "The Diary").

She also co-starred in the 20th Century Fox film The Paper Chase the same year, playing the daughter of the stern law professor, Kingsfield.

According to Kenneth Johnson, interviewed for a featurette included in the 2010 North American DVD release of The Bionic Woman season one, Wagner was cast in the role based upon her appeal and spontaneity after he saw her appearance in the pilot and a follow-up episode of The Rockford Files.

In the second-season, two-part episode, her character is critically injured in a skydiving accident and equipped with bionic implants similar to Austin's, but her body rejects them, ultimately leading to her death.

Also in the 1980s, Wagner co-starred as Sylvester Stallone's ex-wife in his 1981 movie Nighthawks[12] and starred in two more weekly television series, Jessie (1984) and A Peaceable Kingdom (1989),[13] though both were cancelled with neither completing their first season.

[16] In the fall semester of 2013, Wagner began teaching at San Bernardino Valley College in southern California (Acting and Directing for Television and Film, Motion Picture Production) as an adjunct faculty member.

In June 2018, it was announced that Wagner would co-star in Death Stranding, a video game being developed by Sony Interactive Entertainment and Kojima Productions.

Death Stranding was Wagner's first role in a video game, and her first experience with the industry's motion capture and voice acting technology.

[18] In 2021, Wagner starred in the holiday romance film Christmas at the Ranch with Amanda Righetti, Laur Allen, Archie Kao and Dia Frampton playing the character Meemaw.

During the first year of The Bionic Woman, Wagner was the driver in a car accident with her then boyfriend, actor Michael Brandon, in the passenger seat.

Brandon almost lost an eye and Wagner received a severe cut on her upper lip which left a small but permanent scar.

[citation needed] Wagner was scheduled to be a passenger on American Airlines Flight 191 from Chicago to Los Angeles on May 25, 1979, but suddenly felt very ill while waiting for the plane.

After Van Halen constructed his 5150 studio behind his own house, Wagner began to complain about the loudness of his band's recording their 1984 album.