In 1989, Braugher broke through in "Ariana" (NBC), the first of five "Kojak" TV-movies, with the fiery actor portraying dogged assistant detective Winston Blake. With subsequent entries "Fatal Flaw" (ABC, 1989), "Flowers for Matty," "It's Always Something" and "None So Blind" (all ABC, 1990), Braugher began to prove himself to the TV audience. Perhaps more notable, though, was his scene-stealing feature debut as the highly articulate, Harvard-educated Union soldier and friend of Civil War commander Matthew Broderick in "Glory" (1989). Other film work followed, including supporting roles in the thriller "Striking Distance" (1993) and courtroom drama "Primal Fear" (1996). Braugher shone with a stand-out part as an egocentric, unsympathetic actor in "Get On the Bus", Spike Lee's musings on the Million-Man March.
Braugher has often used his controlled flamboyance to escape or transcend TV typecasting as the intelligent black friend to white principal characters. A striking presence at dramatic confrontations, Braugher played a civil rights activist in "Murder in Mississippi" (NBC, 1990), had the lead in "The Court-Martial of Jackie Robinson" (TNT, 1990), about the future baseball great’s fight against the military's policies of segregation, brought an impassioned presence to "Simple Justice" (PBS, 1993), a docudrama of the landmark 1954 Brown vs. the Board of Education desegregation case and lent gravity to his turn as the squadron commander in "The Tuskegee Airmen" (HBO, 1995).
He brought the same intensity and commanding presence to Pembleton, one of the detectives of NBC's acclaimed series "Homicide: Life on the Street". At once hard-headed and sensitive, Pembleton solved cases with an intuitive approach and broke down the guilty with emotional ammunition. Segments of the series that featured Pembleton one-on-one with a suspect in the interrogation room were a highlight of the program, far more effecting and harrowing than any of the high-speed action sequences. In 1995, the character—at Braugher's suggestion—suffered a debilitating stroke, to make him more fragile and interesting. The results earned the actor his first Emmy nomination as lead actor in a series. He won the coveted statue for a 1998 episode in which Pembleton connects with a man pinned by a subway train. After five years (1993-98), Braugher left the series to pursue other options, such as his supporting role as a heavenly being in Brad Silberling's "City of Angels" (1998). He followed up on the big screen with two roles as a narrator, lending his distinctive booming voice to the 1999 documentaries "Wildfire: Feel the Heat" and "Scottsboro: An American Tragedy". After playing a successful gay lawyer embroiled in an heterosexual tryst complicated by gunfire in the cautionary ensemble drama "It's the Rage/All the Rage" (screened at the 1999 Toronto Film Festival and aired on Cinemax before subsequently receiving a theatrical release), he had a pivotal supporting role in the tear-jerking time travel drama "Frequency" (2000). Braugher racked up more big screen credits with a co-starring turn as an ex-con in Bruce Paltrow's karaoke comedy-drama "Duets" (2000) and a starring role in the police thriller "A Better Way to Die" (aired on HBO in 2000 in lieu of a theatrical release).
Although his feature work was picking up, Braugher didn't shy away from TV projects after departing from "Homicide". He played Catholic priest Father Joseph Verrett in the TNT original "Passing Glory" (1999), an idealistic and stubborn character not unlike Pembleton who seeks to bridge 1960s racial gaps with a controversial mixed-race basketball game. That same year he tried his hand at directing and proved an even handed and focused helmer with the "A Love Song For Dad" segment of the Showtime drama trilogy "Love Songs". Braugher also acted alongside Lynn Whitfield in the "A Love Song For Jean and Ellis" segment of the anthology. Braugher returned to his noted role of Pembleton for the 2000 NBC TV-movie special "Homicide: The Movie" and returned to television full-time as star of the medical drama "Gideon's Crossing" (2000-01). The ABC series featured the actor as Ben Gideon, a skilled and empathetic doctor who dispenses medicine and kindly inspiration in equal doses. While the series didn't last more than a season, Braugher earned an Emmy nomination. In 2002, he co-starred in the CBS drama series "Hack." and served as the narrator of "Standing In The Shadows Of Motown," a documentary that sheds light on how Motown artists of the past have influenced artists of all arenas today.
In addition to his successful screen career, Braugher has impressed on the stage, the medium he considered most challenging and rewarding. Prior to his onscreen career, Braugher shined in Richard II, Coriolanus and Twelfth Night. In 1997 he earned an OBIE for playing the lead role in "Henry V" in the Public Theater's summer Shakespeare in the Park production. Back on the small screen, Braugher continued his run as Marcellus Washington, the former partner of a cop turned cabbie (David Morse) on “Hack,” until the show was canceled after the 2004 season. He made an appearance as a judge on an episode of “The Jury” (Fox, 2004-2005), then returned to regular series work with the critically acclaimed “Thief” (FX, 2005- ), playing Nick Atwater, a cool and efficient thief whose high-risk jobs—usually banks and insurance companies—yield big rewards. But at home in New Orleans, Nick has a wife and 14-year-old stepdaughter who know nothing of his other life. The two worlds eventually collide, leading Nick to struggle to find balance between being a family man and being a thief. The show focused more on character relationships than any particular heist—though there was plenty in the way of tense action—while Braugher earned rave reviews for his performance. Meanwhile, he costarred in the larger-than-life remake, “Poseidon” (2006), playing a ship captain on a capsized ocean liner while a ragtag group of passengers struggle to overcome their differences while trying to escape to safety.