Five years later, he found TV stardom with "L.A. Law" and almost immediately, he was put into feature films. He played Shelley Long's husband who remarries after she dies, and is surprised a year later when she walks into his bedroom and says, "Hello Again" (1987). His work as Roger Dorn in "Major League" (1989) and its sequel (1994), was almost to type -- the pretty boy ladies' man worried about appearances. Bernsen was again cast opposite Long in "Frozen Assets" (1992), as the operator of a sperm bank. He also appeared in the ensemble comedy "Radioland Murders" (1994) before playing a tortured (literally) white man in "Tales From the Hood" (1995).
Despite great hopes for his feature film career, Bernsen found better opportunities on TV. He played Southern Poverty Law Center founder Morris Dees in "Line of Fire" (NBC, 1991) and also starred in the 1992 NBC miniseries "Grass Roots." He returned to series TV in 1995 in the short-lived sitcom "A Whole New Ballgame" (ABC), playing a major leaguer after the crowd leaves the stadium. In 1996, he took the leading role in "The Cape," a space-based action-thriller series syndicated worldwide. Although not known for his work in the theatre, Bernsen helped launch "The Theatre of the Night" in 1991 -- a troupe of established actors bringing stage productions to America. His first tour was with Kim Zimmer and included the Murray Schisgal plays, "The Typist" and "The Tiger."