Nichols soon found himself in demand, making several appearances on "Murder, She Wrote" and portraying General Custer on an episode of "Dr. Quinn, Medicine Woman". Stillman reteamed him with "Metropolitan" co-star Chris Eigeman in "Barcelona" (1994), with Nichols cast as a priggish, too serious sales representative of an American company in Spain. He went on to a small role in Rob Reiner's "The American President" and was cast as one of the hostages in a sleazy strip club in the independent film "Headless Body in Topless Bar" (both 1995). Nichols served as an associate producer and co-star of "The Next Step/Closing Notice" (1996), a drama about an aging dancer. After a turn as Marilyn Monroe's vocal coach in the HBO biopic "Norma Jean & Marilyn" (1996), he returned to the stage in the acclaimed 1996 L.A. production of "Lonely Planet", opposite Philip Anglim, and the Off-Broadway production "Plunge" (1997). In 1998, Nichols reteamed with Whit Stillman for "The Last Days of Disco".