After "Charles in Charge" ended its run, Davis took time off to concentrate on her studies, returning to acting in the mid-90s with memorable guest roles on syndicated detective series including "Silk Stalkings" and "High Tide". In 1996 she was cast on the popular daytime drama "The Young and the Restless" (CBS), originating the role of Grace Turner. She left the show in 1997 and was accepted the following year into the prestigious Actors Studio. Davis was reacquainted with a primetime TV audience with 1999 guest roles in series including "The Profiler" (NBC), "Nash Bridges" (CBS) and "Love Boat: The Next Wave" (UPN).
With a 1998 guest role in the series to her credit, Davis joined the cast of the popular Fox primetime soap "Beverly Hills, 90210" with a recurring role as Camille, the love interest of original cast member David (Brian Austin Green). That fall she reteamed with "90210" producer Aaron Spelling, co-starring in the drama series "Titans" (NBC), a return to the steamy "well-to-do family plagued by greed and scandal" genre much-anticipated by the fans of the Spelling classic "Dynasty" (ABC). Portraying Lauren, the self-possessed and somewhat intimidating daughter of Victoria Principal's crafty matriarch, Davis would leave behind the bookish and shy image she had been associated with since her "Charles in Charge" days.