Jewel Staite

Best known since Firefly as Dr. Jennifer Keller on Stargate Atlantis and as lawyer Abby Bianchi on the Canadian drama Family Law.

After the show

Jewel Staite had a recurring role as Heidi Gotts on Fox’s Wonderfalls (2004) and reprised Kaylee Frye in Serenity (2005). That year she also guest starred on Stargate Atlantis as Ellia, a young Wraith.

She returned to Stargate Atlantis in 2007 in a different role, Dr. Jennifer Keller, the expedition’s chief medical officer. She recurred in season 4 and was a series regular in season 5, appearing in 33 episodes through 2009.

Her guest roles in the years that followed included Warehouse 13 (2010) and Supernatural (2011), where she played Amy Pond, a monster and childhood friend of Sam Winchester. She was a regular on the Canadian series The L.A. Complex (2012) as Raquel Westbrook, and played Caroline Swift on AMC’s The Killing (2013 to 2014). Later guest work includes Legends of Tomorrow and Castle (2016), recurring parts on Blindspot (2017 and 2020), The Magicians (2020) and a 2022 episode of Quantum Leap. She also made a string of TV movies, including Syfy’s Mothman (2010).

From 2021 she starred as Abigail “Abby” Bianchi, a lawyer in recovery who is forced to work at her estranged father’s family law firm, in Global’s Family Law, opposite Victor Garber. The show also aired in the United States on The CW.

Lately

The fourth and final season of Family Law aired on The CW beginning July 23, 2025, and premiered on Global in Canada on January 8, 2026, with the series finale airing in Canada in March 2026.

In 2025 Staite guest starred in four episodes of the final season of Resident Alien as FBI agent Jules Gardner, reuniting her with Alan Tudyk. Series creator Chris Sheridan said the casting was Tudyk’s idea.

In March 2026 Nathan Fillion announced at Awesome Con that an animated Firefly series is in development with 20th Television Animation. Staite was among the original cast at the announcement and is expected to voice Kaylee again. No network or platform has been announced as of October 2026.

Off screen

Staite married Charlie Ritchie in July 2016.