Rowan guest-starred in television series such as The Outer Limits, Growing Pains, Da Vinci's Inquest, CSI: Crime Scene Investigation and Dallas. In 1993, she won a Gemini award for her work in the television movie Adrift. In 1995–96 she played Matty Shaw in the TV series Lonesome Dove: The Outlaw Years as a funeral parlor and gun smith person. In 2002, Rowan guest-starred in four episodes of Boomtown, playing "Marian", the deceived wife of David McNorris (Neal McDonough). In 2003, she was cast as Kirsten Cohen on the Fox television series The O.C.; for her role as the recovering alcoholic mother, she won a Prism Award.