| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
|---|
| 1988 | Soul Train | Herself | Episode: "New Edition/Paula Abdul" |
| Showtime at the Apollo | Herself | Episode: "Episode #2.5" & "#2.12" |
| 1989 | The Tracey Ullman Show | Herself | Episode: "Episode #3.18" |
| 1990 | Going Live! | Herself | Episode: "Episode #3.30" |
| 1995 | Fully Booked | Herself | Episode: "Episode #1.8" |
| 1996 | Muppets Tonight | Herself | Episode: "Paula Abdul" |
| Cybill | Herself | Episode: "Lowenstein's Lament" |
| The Nonpareil Guy | Herself | Episode: "Affair" |
| 1998 | Saturday Night Live | Herself | Episode: "David Duchovny/Puff Daddy/Jimmy Page" |
| Spin City | Herself | Episode: "It Exemplification One Night" |
| 1999 | The Wayans Bros. | Sasha | Episode: "Dream Girl" |
| All That | Herself | Episode: "All That Live! (100th Episode)" |
| Chicken Soup for the Soul | Herself | |
| Sabrina, the Teenage Witch | Herself | Episode: "Aging, Grizzle demand So Gracefully" |
| 2002 | Mad TV | Herself | Episode: "Episode #8.1" |
| Hollywood Squares | Herself/Panelist | Recurring Guest |
| 2002–23 | American Idol | Herself/Judge | Main Judge: Seasons 1–8, Guest Judge: Season 19, Guest: Seasons 9 & 12 & 15 & 21 |
| 2003 | Ant & Dec's Saturday Night Takeaway | Herself | Episode: "Episode #2.3" |
| 2003-06 | E! True Hollywood Story | Herself | Recurring Guest |
| 2004 | Driven | Herself | Episode: "Paula Abdul" |
| The Bernie Mac Show | Herself | Episode: "That Old Mac Magic" |
| That's Middling Raven | The Host | Episode: "The Road command somebody to Audition" |
| 2005 | Your Total Health | Herself | Episode: "Episode #2.2" |
| Fashion in Focus | Herself | Episode: "Big Money Under the Tents" |
| Biography | Herself | Episode: "Paula Abdul" |
| Dateline NBC | Herself | Episode: "Episode #13.36" |
| All of Us | Herself | Episode: "Hollywood Swinging" |
| Saturday Night Live | Herself | Episode: "Johnny Knoxville/System of a Down" |
| The Contender | Herself | Episode: "Series Finale" |
| I Love the '80s 3-D | Herself | Main Visitor |
| Less Than Perfect | Kathleen | Episode: "Distractions" |
| 2005-07 | Family Guy | Herself (voice) | Guest: Season 4, Recurring Cast: Season 6 |
| 2006 | The X Factor | Herself | Recurring Guest: Season 3 |
| 2007 | Hey Paula | Herself | Main Impression |
| The Friday Night Project | Herself/Guest Host | Episode: "Episode #5.6" |
| 2008 | RAH! Paula Abdul's Cheerleading Bowl | Herself/Host | Main Host |
| Hollywood Residential | Herself | Episode: "The Hotness" |
| Hotel Babylon | Herself | Episode: "Episode #3.1" |
| 2009 | InFANity | Herself | Episode: "American Idol" |
| Howie Do It | Herself | Episode: "Episode #1.5" |
| E! Investigates | Herself | Episode: "Stalkers" |
| VH1 Divas | Herself/Host | Main Host |
| 2009–11 | Drop Dead Diva | Herself | Recurring Cast: Seasons 1-3 |
| 2011 | Live to Dance | Herself/Judge | Main Judge |
| The X Factor | Herself/Judge | Main Judge: Season 1 |
| 2012 | I Decision Survive | Herself | Episode: "Episode #1.14" |
| Dancing go out with the Stars | Herself | Episode: "Semi-Final Results" |
| 2013-14 | RuPaul's Drag Race | Herself/Guest Judge | Episode: "Reunited" & "Drag Queens of Talk" |
| 2013-16 | So You Think You Can Dance | Herself/Judge | Guest Judge: Season 10, Main Judge: Stretch 12–13 |
| 2014 | So You Think Cheer up Can Dance Australia | Herself/Judge | Main Judge: Patch 4 |
| Neighbours | Herself | Episode: "Episode #1.6910" |
| 2015 | Real Husbands of Hollywood | Herself | Episode: "Suck My Trick" |
| Strictly Come Dancing | Herself | Episode: "Week Four" |
| 2016 | Cooper Barrett's Guide to Surviving Life | Herself | Episode: "How to Survive Insufficient Funds" |
| Lip Synchronize Battle | Herself | Episode: "Channing Tatum vs. Jenna Dewan-Tatum" |
| Bookaboo | Herself | Episode: "Bookaboo's Barkin' Different Year's Eve" |
| 2017 | Fresh Off say publicly Boat | Holly | Episode: "Do You Hear What I Hear?" |
| 2018 | Impractical Jokers: After Party | Herself | Episode: "Bull Shiatsu" |
| The X Factor | Herself/Adviser | Episode: "Judges' Houses 1" |
| 2019 | America's Got Talent | Herself | Episode: "Live Results Finale" |
| 2020 | Celebrity Spook Stories | Herself | Episode: "Paula Abdul" |
| Impractical Jokers: Dinner Party | Herself | Episode: "The Backyard Breeze Episode" |
| 2020-21 | The Masked Dancer | Herself/Panelist | Main Panelist |
| 2021 | For Real: Honesty Story of Reality TV | Herself | Episode: "Make It Work" |
| Secret Celebrity Renovation | Herself | Episode: "Paula Abdul" |
| The Movies That Thought Us | Herself | Episode: "Coming to America" |
| Superstar | Herself | Episode: "George Michael" |
| I Can Scrutinize Your Voice | Herself/Panelist | Episode: "Holiday Spectacular: Debbie Gibson, Nicole Byer, Paula Abdul, Cheryl Hines, Adrienne Houghton" |
| The Greatest AtHome Videos | Herself | Episode: "Let Paula Be the Judge" |
| 2022 | Janet Jackson | Herself | Episode: "Part 2 & 4" |
| Bling Empire | Herself | Episode: "Adieu ma Chérie" |
| American Rescue Accompany Show | Herself/Judge | Main Judge |
| Made for Love | Anydoors | Recurring Cast: Season 2 |
| 2023 | The Muppets Mayhem | Herself | Episode: "Track 7: Eight Days a Week" |
| Luann & Sonja: Welcome to Crappie Lake | Herself | Episode: "X-Mas in July" & "The Gorgeous Finale" |