docudrama

American  

[dok-yuh-drah-muh, -dram-uh] / ˈdɒk yəˌdrɑ mə, -ˌdræm ə /

noun

Television.

1. a fictionalized drama based primarily on actual events.

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docudrama British  

/ ˈdɒkjʊˌdrɑːmə /

noun

1. a film or television programme based on true events, presented in a dramatized form

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Other Word Forms

Derived Forms

• docudramatist
  noun

Etymology

Origin of docudrama

First recorded in 1960–65; docu(mentary) + drama

Explanation

A fictional movie or TV show that's closely based on a true story can be called a docudrama. All The President's Men is a docudrama about the Watergate scandal. The term docudrama was first used in American English during the 1950s, from documentary and drama. It's most often used for television programs that strive for some accuracy in representing historical events, sometimes reenacting situations using real details and dialogue. Docudramas inevitably also fill in unknown details and ramp up the dramatic interest of the story using creative license.

Related Words

• broadcast
• feature
• film
• narrative