Sheridan made her debut in the short-lived US primetime soap opera Paper Dolls in 1984, but her breakthrough came in 1986, when she joined the cast of the CBS primetime soap Knots Landing as "Paige Matheson". She started out in a recurring role, but was a series regular by the 1988-89 season. For her performance in the role, she won the 1990 Soap Opera Digest Award for "Outstanding Lead Actress: Prime Time" and the 1991 Soap Opera Digest Award for "Outstanding Heroine: Prime Time". The same year, she was named one of People Magazine's "50 Most Beautiful People". After the series ended in 1993, she appeared in several made-for-TV movies and the films Spy Hard and Beverly Hills Ninja and auditioned for the role of Grace Adler on Will & Grace.
