Corbett won the role of the enlightened disc jockey for the quirky town of Cicely, Alaska in the CBS comedy-drama, "Northern Exposure" (1990-95). Corbett's Chris Stevens, an ex-con, served as the show's sometimes narrator, artist-in-residence and cosmic guru. In a role that could have turned flaky or corny, Corbett managed to soar and earned an Emmy nomination for Best Supporting Actor. After the demise of the series, he offered a change of pace portrayal of a man accused of murder in the ABC miniseries "Innocent Victims" (1996) and filmed the pilot for a sci-fi series, "The Osiris Chronicles" before landing the lead in the short-lived "The Visitor" (Fox, 1997).
After the tough-to-follow "Northern Exposure," Corbett may be the cast member who's had the most visible career, lending his Chris-In-the-Morning style vocals to a number of television advertisements and landing a role on one of TV's most watched-and discussed-series, the acclaimed HBO comedy "Sex and the City," coming aboard in the third season to play furniture maker Aidan Shaw, the kind and sensitive love interest for central character Carrie Bradshaw (Sarah Jessica Parker). As Aidan, Corbett embodied the ultimate "nice guy" side of Carrie's romantic dilemma as she struggled to choose between him and her "bad boy" ex-lover "Mr. Big" (Chris Noth). Corbett was with the show for two seasons as his character experienced break-up, reconciliation, engagement, cohabitation and a final goodbye with Carrie, a rocky road that enchanted viewers and sparked much debate. He practically parodied the role in the 2001 film "Serendipity" as Kate Beckinsale's ultra-New Age-y beau.
The actor then scored big as the romantic lead Ian Miller in the surprise hit film "My Big Fat Greek Wedding," one of the biggest moneymakers of 2002. Playing the sweet, cool-tempered straight man to star Nia Vardalos and her wacky ethnic family, Corbett made the most of an underdeveloped role by adding much of his personal charm and the accumulated audience goodwill he'd compiled in other roles.
Corbett's raised profile earned him the leading role on the f/x series "Lucky" (2003), playing Lucky Linkletter, a compulsive gambler and one-time World Poker champion who lost it all but tries to rebuild his life. The show proved to be short-lived, and Corbett's next role was a familiar one, playing the easy-to-like love interest in a female star-driven comedy, this time playing a handsome pastor/principal in the Kate Hudeson starrer "Raising Helen" (2004). Another role as an educator followed, this time as a faculty member in a performing arts high school in the Hilary Duff vehicle "Raise Your Voice" (2004), after which Corbett announced his serious intention to pursue a career in country music.