"television drama based on real events," by 1957, American English, from documentary + drama. The first so-called appears to have been written as a stage play, "We Call to Mind," a "dramatic presentation of the development of education and its significance in American life," written by Philip C. Lewis and produced by the Tenafly, New Jersey, Citizens Education Council and the Tenafly Drama Workshop after the defeat of a school budget.

1580s, "of or pertaining to acted drama," from Late Latin dramaticus, from Greek dramatikos "pertaining to plays," from drama (genitive dramatos; see drama). Meaning "full of action and striking display, characterized by force and animation in action or expression, fit for a drama" is from 1725. Dramatic irony, "irony inherent in a drama and understood by the audience but not grasped by the characters in the play," is recorded from 1907. Related: Dramatical; dramatically.

"an author of plays, a playwright," 1670s, see drama (Greek stem dramat-) + -ist. An older word was theatrine (mid-15c.).

1780s, "to adopt for the stage," see drama (Greek stem dramat-) + -ize. Meaning "to express or manifest dramatically" is from 1823. Related: Dramatized; dramatizing.

"dramatist, writer of plays," 1849, from French dramaturge (1775), usually in a slighting sense, from Greek dramatourgos "a dramatist," from drama (genitive dramatos; see drama) + ergos "worker," from PIE root *werg- "to do." Related: Dramaturgic (1831).

"science of the composition and production of plays," 1795, from French dramaturgie, from Greek dramatourgia, from drama (genitive dramatos; see drama) + -ourgia "a working," from ergon "work, activity" (from PIE root *werg- "to do"). 

1784 (1782 as melo drame), "a dramatic composition in which music is used," from French mélodrame (1772), from Greek melos "song" (see melody) + French drame "drama" (see drama).

In early 19th century use, a stage-play (usually romantic and sentimental in plot and incident) in which songs were interspersed and in which the action was accompanied by orchestral music appropriate to the situations. In later use the musical element gradually ceased to be an essential feature of the 'melodrama', and the name now denotes a dramatic piece characterized by sensational incidents and violent appeals to the emotions, but with a happy ending. [OED]

The shift toward "a romantic and sensational dramatic piece with a happy ending" is evident by 1883. Also from French are Spanish melodrama, Italian melodramma, German melodram. Related: Melodramatize.

The melodramatist's task is to get his characters labelled good & wicked in his audience's minds, & to provide striking situations that shall provoke & relieve anxieties on behalf of poetic justice. [Fowler]

also psycho-drama, "form of psychotherapy involving the acting out of a patient's problems and difficulties," 1937 (in writing of U.S. psychiatrist Jacob L. Moreno (1889-1974)), from psycho- + drama. Related: Psychodramatic.