Seriously, your second option (pull TV out of niche and place stands left and right) sounds best. You wouldn't need to pull the TV out very far -- the center should normally be a few inches "behind" the main speakers so that all three are the same distance from the listener. Imagine a circle with the listener at the center; all three speakers should be on the circle.

M60ti, VP180, QS8, M2ti, EP500, PC-Plus 20-39
M5HP, M40ti, Sierra-1
LFR1100 active, ADA1500-4 and -8