After an appearance in an episode of the hit 1980s sitcom "Family Ties", Campbell's first prominent role was that of Luke Fuller, Steven Carrington's lover on "Dynasty". Campbell appeared in the show's fifth season (1984–85) when "Dynasty" was the number one show on American television. Following this, he had a regular role as Detective Joey Indelli on the 1986–88 NBC series "Crime Story". Campbell was the first choice of the producers of "" to play the role of William Riker, but lost the role to Jonathan Frakes. Campbell appeared as a guest star during the show's second season, portraying the title character in "The Outrageous Okona".