Janina Gavankar made her debut in the 2004 American comedy film ‘Barbershop 2: Back in Business,’ directed by Kevin Rodney Sullivan. The film received mostly positive reviews from critics and was a commercial success. In 2007, she joined the cast of the television drama ‘The L Word’ created by Ilene Chaiken, Michele Abbot, and Kathy Greenberg. She played the role of ‘Eva 'Papi' Torres’ and remained a part of the series until it went off-air in 2009. She continued to appear in television series and shows, such as ‘My Boys’ (2008), ‘Factory’ (2008), ‘Grey's Anatomy’ (2008), ‘NCIS’ (2009), ‘Dollhouse’ (2009), and ‘The Cleaner’ (2009). In 2009, she became a part of the American sitcom ‘The League’ where she played the role of ‘Shivakamini Somakandarkram.’ The series ran for 7 seasons and aired its final episode in 2015. In 2010, she starred as Leigh Turner’ in the American supernatural crime drama television series ‘The Gates.’ The series was canceled after season one due to low ratings. The following year, she joined the main cast of the American fantasy horror drama television series ‘True Blood.’ She played the role of ‘Luna Garza’ and remained a part of the series until 2013.
Gavankar next appeared in television series like ‘The Exes’ (2012), ‘Arrow’ (2013), ‘The Goodwin Games’ (2013), ‘The Vampire Diaries’ (2013), and ‘Garfunkel and Oates’ (2014). In 2014, she became a part of the American police procedural comedy-drama television series ‘The Mysteries of Laura.’ The show aired 38 episodes and went off-air in 2016. She continued to star in television series like ‘Sleepy Hollow’ (2017), ‘Hell's Kitchen’ (2018), ‘You're The Worst’ (2019), and ‘Better Things’ (2019). In 2019, she became a part of the recurring cast of the American drama streaming television series ‘The Morning Show,’ created by Jay Carson. The series was renewed for a third season in January 2022. She went on to join the cast of the American animated television series ‘The Mighty Ones’ in 2020. The following year, she joined the American crime drama-thriller series ‘Big Sky.’ The second season of the series premiered in September 2021. She was last seen playing the role of ‘Meredith’ in the American miniseries ‘The Woman in the House Across the Street from the Girl in the Window’ in 2022.
