I think the only way you will know what sounds best will be to try out the different placements you have suggested you might use. Even if you go with the side wall mounting I would just make some shelves and use regular M22s aimed out at your seating.
Based on what you’re describing I think you’d be an excellent candidate at some point for using wide speakers. You’d have to run wire for the mains to go near the TV but then you could use the existing wire for the wides. That would both keep the sound of on screen action fairly close to the screen and not way out to the sides but the wide speakers would expand out the front soundstage to sound “bigger” and more enveloping.
