The series debuted in September 1984 and earned consistently low ratings, but the Punky character was a hit with young children.

After the original Punky Brewster series ended, Frye continued her career in guest spots on television and supporting roles in films.

In 2011, Frye released her first book, Happy Chaos: From Punky to Parenting and My Perfectly Imperfect Adventures in Between.

Her father was actor Virgil Frye (1930–2012), and her mother is talent agent and caterer Sondra Peluce (née Londy).

[4] Frye made her acting debut in the 1982 television movie Missing Children: A Mother's Story.

At an audition in 1984, Frye beat out over 3,000 girls (including her future Sabrina, the Teenage Witch co-star Melissa Joan Hart) to win the titular role on the NBC sitcom Punky Brewster.

Frye routinely appeared at parades, participated in an anti-drug walks with then-First Lady Nancy Reagan, and was the honorary chairman for the National Institute on Drug Abuse.

[6][7] Punky Brewster's second season, which dealt with more serious subject matters such as CPR and first-aid training, drug use and the Just Say No campaign, and the Space Shuttle Challenger disaster,[8] did not improve ratings, and NBC cancelled the series in April 1986.

[10] Immediately upon Punky Brewster's end, Frye landed the lead role in the ABC sitcom pilot Cadets, which aired as a summer special on September 25, 1988.

Based on the board game of the same name, Frye shared hosting duties with Sarah Michelle Gellar and Rod Brogan.

During the 1990s, Frye guest-starred on several television series, including The Wonder Years, Saved by the Bell, and Friends, and voiced characters for the animated series Tiny Toon Adventures, The Ren & Stimpy Show, and The Cartoon Cartoon Show (namely, the Johnny Bravo pilot episode).

In addition to her television work, Frye has appeared in the films The Liars' Club (1993) and Pumpkinhead II: Blood Wings (1995) and in stage productions of Orestes, I Murdered My Mother and The Housekeeper.

From 2000 to 2003, Frye played the character of Roxie King in the last few seasons of Sabrina, the Teenage Witch, with her longtime friend and series producer Melissa Joan Hart.

[18] In 2021, Frye directed Kid 90, a documentary film using an archive of footage she shot in the 1990s, for which Leonardo DiCaprio was executive producer.

[23] In September 2011, Frye released her first book, Happy Chaos: From Punky to Parenting and My Perfectly Imperfect Adventures in Between.