[2] She later began guest-starring in an episodes of both Canadian and American television series T and T, Night Heat, L.A. Law, Dragnet, Tequila and Bonetti and Street Legal.
She was a regular cast member in the daytime soap operas Generations as Carla Meyers in 1989, and Days of Our Lives as Hayley Monahan in 1992.
In 1993 she made her big screen debut playing the leading role of Toronto blues singer and pianist in the drama film The Circle Game, directed by Brigitte Berman.
[4] McPhail appeared in a number of made-for-television movies, notable Without Warning (1994), Body Language (1995), Evidence of Blood (1998), Dirty Pictures (2000), Haven (2001), A Town Without Christmas (2001), Tagged: The Jonathan Wamback Story (2002), and RFK (2002) playing Ethel Kennedy.
On television, she also guest-starred on Murder One, Space: Above and Beyond, Star Trek: Voyager, ER, Silk Stalkings, The X Files, Sliders, Soul Food and Queer as Folk.