Prince-Bythewood's fresh, even-handed style helped the college-set drama "Felicity" from slipping into self-parody in its 1998-1999 season. She served as a consulting producer on the series, and wrote one of the series' most honestly affecting and believable episodes, where adopted Julie (Amy Jo Johnson) finds for her birth mother and the meddlesome titular co-ed (Keri Russell) struggles to mind her own business. Prince-Bythewood's own upbringing (adopted into a predominately Caucasian family at six months old) may have informed her sensitive and realistic portrayal of Julie's search, much as her love of sports surely enriched her feature debut, the time-spanning, court-set romance "Love and Basketball". Written and directed by Prince-Bythewood, the uniquely appealing romance starred Omar Epps and Sanaa Lathan as the athletes in love. Prince-Bythewood won notice and acclaim for her Spike Lee co-produced debut, the African-American woman standing out in a field still overwhelming dominated by white males. While making important strides within the industry, Prince-Bythewood also proved that her talent was raceless and genderless, penning convincingly flawed but charming characters and directing with an intuitive flair and attention to detail that all filmmakers strive for. Not only were main characters Q (Epps) and Monica (Lathan) fully realized, but supporting players including Monica's old fashioned mother (Alfre Woodard) and Q's womanizing father (Dennis Haysbert) were similarly multi-layered and complex. Through her skillful directing, Prince-Bythewood's audience was as intoxicated and involved in the ups and downs of the relationship as the primary players were.
Interested in making movies of all genres and types but mindful of the fact that her status as one of all too few black female filmmakers brought with it certain opportunities and responsibilities, Prince-Bythewood followed up "Love & Basketball" with an HBO-produced adaptation of Terry McMillan's popular novel "Disappearing Acts" (2000). A passionate and touching Brooklyn, New York-set romance, "Disappearing Acts" chronicled the unlikely and often tumultuous relationship between an intelligent but uninspired construction worker (Wesley Snipes) and an ambitious music teacher seeking a singing career (Sanaa Lathan). McMillan's multidimensional characters would benefit from Prince-Bythewood's proven ability to bring remarkably convincing human portrayals to the screen.