Rowan guest-starred in television series such as The Outer Limits, Growing Pains, Da Vinci’s Inquest, CSI: Crime Scene Investigation and Dallas. In 1993, she won a Gemini Award for her work in the television movie Adrift. In 1995–96 she played Matty Shaw, a funeral parlor operator and gun smith, in the TV series Lonesome Dove: The Outlaw Years. In 2002, Rowan guest-starred in four episodes of Boomtown, playing “Marian”, the deceived wife of David McNorris (Neal McDonough). In 2003, she was cast as Kirsten Cohen, a recovering alcoholic mother on The O.C., a Fox television series. In 2006, she won a Prism Award for this role. From 2012 to 2015, she starred as Natalie Vincent in the TNT series, Perception.

Rowan announced her engagement to David Thomson, 3rd Baron Thomson of Fleet in late June 2007. They broke off their engagement before Rowan, then age 42, gave birth to their daughter on April 28, 2008 in Los Angeles.