She then had leading roles in End of Days (1999), Supernova, Vertical Limit (both 2000), Cherish, The Secret Lives of Dentists (both 2002) and The In-Laws (2003), and earned wider recognition playing Veronica Donovan on Prison Break (2005–2006) and Teresa Lisbon on The Mentalist (2008–2015).

[3] Her subsequent film credits included Hollywoodland (2006), August, The Burning Plain (both 2008), Passenger Side (2009), Looking Glass, and Monster Party (both 2018).

[9] Tunney realized subsequent success in the role of Sarah Bailey in horror-fantasy film The Craft,[10] in which she starred alongside Fairuza Balk, Neve Campbell and Rachel True.

[15] Tunney appeared in the 2004 pilot episode of the medical drama series House as a kindergarten instructor who suffers from an aphasic condition.

[20][21] In 2018, she led the thriller film Looking Glass alongside Nicolas Cage,[22] which was negatively received although her performance earned praise.

The finale aired on July 5, 2006, where she finished second to Jason Alexander, earning $200,000 for her charity of choice, the Children's Health Fund.