On television, Wheeler-Nicholson has guest-starred in Seinfeld, Law & Order, Law & Order: Criminal Intent, Sex and the City, Boston Public, and Boston Legal. She starred in short-lived NBC comedy Beverly Hills Buntz from 1987 to 1988, and in 2001 was cast on the ABC daytime soap opera All My Children. In the mid-2000s, Wheeler-Nicholson moved from Los Angeles to Austin, Texas. From 2007 to 2011, she had a recurring role in the NBC drama Friday Night Lights as Angela Collette. In 2014, Wheeler-Nicholson played the role of Scarlett O'Connor's abusive mother on ABC's musical drama series Nashville. In 2015, she had a supporting role in Hannah Fidell's independent drama film 6 Years, portraying the mother of Ben Rosenfield.