Fans of the TV show Gilmore Girls waited nine years after the end of the original series to find out what became of its precocious co-lead, Rory Gilmore. Throughout the first seven seasons of the show, Rory’s narrative is that she is destined for greatness. In the four-part coda, she moves back to her hometown after being fired from a job, and rekindles a romance with her now-engaged college boyfriend. With one (frequently mentioned) article for The New Yorker under her belt, she starts to edit the local newspaper, all the while insisting she won’t be in town long enough to join the local “30-Something Gang.” 

There are, surely, many real-world examples of people who were the next big thing—until they no longer were. Remember that super-talented band from school who once had ...